I’ve reported from more than 100 countries, so when I say America is unique, I’m not basing that assessment on nothing. It is—by far—the place that the largest number of people want to move to. That has always been its greatest strength. If lots of fertile land and natural resources were what mattered most, Russia would be a paradise. 

Yet success breeds problems. Thanks to cheap air travel, the number of people who would move to America tomorrow if they could vastly exceeds the number that American voters would tolerate. And when a loophole appears, such as refugee rules that let pretty much anyone walk across the border, claim asylum and join the labour market, scenes of chaos at the border are inevitable. Donald Trump won office promising to restore order. This was not especially hard, because Joe Biden had already largely fixed the asylum loophole and brought irregular arrivals dramatically down in the last months of his presidency. But still, voters give Mr Trump credit, because no one doubts that he sincerely wants to keep foreigners out. His massive high-tech border wall makes much less difference than asylum policy, but it nonetheless reassures many Americans. 

Mr Trump has now turned his attention to the people who are already in the country illegally. Unlike his securing of the border, his campaign of mass deportation is unpopular. Turning away new arrivals is relatively straightforward. Hunting down millions of people who snuck in decades ago and now have jobs, lives and American families is difficult, expensive and hugely disruptive to American businesses and communities. Nonetheless, Mr Trump is trying. As a sop to public opinion, he has toned down the theatrical brutality that ICE agents displayed earlier this year, but the campaign has quietly ramped up, not down. (We discuss how in this week’s edition of The Insider, which you can watch now.)

Finally, and most important, Mr Trump is making America less welcoming to future migrants—even the brainiest ones. The number of new student visas issued in 2025 was down 29% from the previous year, by one estimate, and the administration wants firms that need H-1B visas for highly skilled staff to fork out more than $100,000 per person just to apply.

Listening to MAGA types talking about “heritage Americans” and “remigration”, it is clear that immigration policy now is not just about law and order, or even about the economy. Many in Trumpworld see immigrants as a threat to American culture. This is exactly backwards. The essence of American culture is dynamism and creativity, fed by a steady influx of newcomers with fresh perspectives and a mighty yearning to improve their lives. Mr Trump’s vision of a fortress America is profoundly unAmerican.