Thread by @celiabelin

July 4th has come and gone, and, with it, all remaining illusions that travel will reopen between Europe and the US. As I have shared in this @washingtonpost article, this policy is only causing hardship. 1/

https://twitter.com/celiabelin/status/1408790619905003524?s=20

Since I started writing on the issue, European officials, as well as Europeans under travel ban, have repeatedly professed their faith that travel will reopen “soon,” that reciprocity is “around the corner,” that “Americans will realize the policy doesn’t make sense anymore.” 2/

“You’ll see, Joe Biden will announce it before his European tour in June.” He didn’t. “You know, Sec Blinken will address it when he visits Italy for G20.” He hasn’t. “Come on, Biden is just waiting for his own July 4th deadline, and then he will lift the ban”.
He. Did. Not.
3/

“So, maybe Merkel will convince Biden, when she comes to DC in July.” Well, maybe. Or not. Rumor has it that reopening is considered for September. Or not.
Maybe it is time to stop relying passively on faith alone and start planning actively about how to address the issue.
4/

First, European officials have not addressed the issue with the care and urgency it deserves. European leaders – chief among them Macron, Merkel, Draghi, Johnson – have failed to press forcefully the issue onto President Biden when he came to Europe.
5/

European leaders have contented themselves with private diplomatic action and formal requests to State Department. This is not enough. Political leadership is needed. And for now, European leaders are failing their constituents.
6/

At a minimum, European leaders should demand that the U.S. let visa holders (ALL visa holders) travel, as their travel needs are fundamental to their livelihood and well-being. They should also demand that American consulates in Europe resume routine visa services.
7/

It is time for Europe to face the reality that being open to Americans while Europeans are not able to travel to the US is a humiliating situation. Meanwhile, America cannot claim to be back, and Europe to be its best allies, if it continues to treat its citizens so poorly.
8/

Second, the American administration should drop the act: if reciprocity is not around the corner, the US needs to explain precisely why instead of hiding behind a non-descript “follow the science” argument. Is it a fear of the Delta variant? What is the scientific rationale?
9/

Vaccinations rates in Europe are getting close and catching up to America’s. Infection rates in Europe are at their lowest in months. Delta variant is presenting a unique challenge, but it is also widespread in the U.S. Double-vaxx Europeans do not present a specific danger.
10/

The science does not tell us that discriminating against categories of people is efficient. But it curbs freedom. Our societies will have to struggle with COVID for many more months, maybe years. For free liberal democracies, blanket travel ban are not an acceptable option.
11/

At a minimum, the American administration should work to address head-on some of the most discriminatory aspects of the policy in place. Namely, fix the situation of the hundreds of thousands of Europeans living in US who are still stuck 16 months into the pandemic.
12/

There is a start of embryonic action. The White House has created “expert working group” with the EU, Mexico, the UK, Canada, to “have an open line of transparent communication with these countries about what steps need to be taken”. 13/
whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

Just recently, the State department issues new guidelines regarding National Interest Exceptions in an effort to unclog consular services. NIE are now valid for multiple entries, and for 12 months. Good. Yet, most visa holders still can’t get NIEs.
14/
travel.state.gov/content/travel…

Let me finish with a few quotes. Since writing on the issue I have received many messages of desperation that deserve compassion. They remind us that love is not tourism, that family is essential, that travel is a fundamental right, that love is love even across the Atlantic.
15/

Tea’s husband is a university professor on a H1-B visa, she is under H4, and their visas are expiring. Tea hasn’t seen her mum in 18 months. She asks: “why can't I go home? Why am I worth less, or deemed more dangerous, or what is the logic behind it?”
16/

Americans are free to go to Europe, but Tea still can’t. “I don't understand and it makes me really sad. And angry. Really angry. I am vaccinated, so is my husband and all we want to do is see our families. It shouldn't be like this, not anymore. We are being held hostage.” 17/

Maxime is in a similar situation: "My wife lost a grandfather, her dad is recovering from a heart transplant, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and thankfully recovered, other family members got Covid-19 and painfully recovered but we are still unable to travel to see them."18/

Maxime says he “fails to understand why temporary residents who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine cannot travel and come back, while US citizens, permanent residents and certain visa holders can.”
16/

Ingrid Bergman is an E2 visa holder and has been stuck in the Netherlands since last March 2020, not able to return to her home and company in the US: "It has been a financial nightmare ever since. Nobody to support me or my company."
17/

[journalist friends – I am happy to put you in contact with them and others who have shared with me their difficulties. As they all say, these stories deserve to be heard. Because #LoveisNotTourism]
[or read below ⬇️]
washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/0…

Travel is not Tourism. Those in dire need to travel have been neglected by European leaders & treated as afterthought by American leaders. Yet, many who contribute to America's prosperity are still stuck in a bureaucratic limbo that could be fixed, but is NOT yet addressed. [end]