…There can be no doubt… that any law passed by a State which shall exclude the citizens of a foreign country with whom we are at peace, or which shall impose upon them unusual and oppressive conditions, would be an interference with the relations subsisting between the United States and the Government whose citizens were affected by the enactment. That such an interference would be tolerated, either by our own Government or the foreign one, is not to be believed…  *                     

Daily Alta California, 26 April 1852

The editor added that care should be taken to ensure “the great and paramount interests of our Pacific commerce” is protected to “prevent our powerful rival (England in this case) from using her position to supplant American merchants and influences in the great trade which is springing up with China.”

This historical tidbit is quoted from a much longer article exploring California’s anti-immigration efforts focused on the Chinese. Find the full article HERE  

***

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting entry to the United States by nationals of 39 countries plus individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority (PA)-issued travel documents. This proclamation took effect January 1, 2026

According to congress.gov, the proclamations have a stated policy goal of protecting U.S. citizens from foreign nationals “who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security and public safety, incite hate crimes, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”  The website admits, however, that Trump cited screening and vetting deficiencies as the overarching reason for the suspensions (and whose fault is that ?).

For the 24 countries/authority with new restrictions, problems include

• Overstay rates—19 countries
• A lack of cooperation on accepting repatriations—5 countries
• A lack of a competent or cooperative central government authority for issuing passports or sharing information—3 countries
• A nexus to terrorism—4 countries

Find the entirety of the travel ban that took effect Jan 1, 2026 HERE