One woman is advising Thais who want to work, live or study in the States to put their plans on hold for the next four years while Donald Trump is president.
Trump has only been president for a few weeks but his harsh policies on immigration are already being felt by foreigners in the U.S., including Thais that are working both with and without proper documentation.
The new world leader has already signed off on an order for a 90-day ban on anyone coming from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen; 120-day ban on refugees and an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.
The Nation spoke with a Thai restaurant owner that lives and works in the States. Tip, who gained citizenship through marriage to an American, said that her fellow Thai restaurant owners are already suffering as staff that worked illegally has stopped coming to work for fear of being caught. She noted that it was sad as these Thais, mostly students who send money home to their families and support themselves with their wages, really need their small salaries. On the flip side, she noted that some restaurant owners are no longer hiring Thais without work visas since they don’t want to get shut down.
Tip mentioned that some Thais she knows that live in the U.S. now want to move to Canada but that, while the Great White North is welcoming American citizens who want to leave, they are not as open to green card holders (permanent residents that don’t have all the same rights as citizens) She ended by giving some advice: “Thais who are already in the U.S. should work and save as much money as possible, but then go home. People who do not have a work visa should return immediately because if they are caught and deported, they would be blacklisted from re-entering the country.”
She also said that those Thais that wanted to go to the States should wait until Trump leaves office.
Reader Interactions