ELISSA NADWORNY, HOST:
The FIFA World Cup is less than a month away. Forty-eight national teams from around the world will face off in matches in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. But President Trump's immigration policies - including travel bans - have created concerns, and Trump now seems to be relaxing some of his restrictions. Joining us now to talk more about this is NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán. Good morning.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Hey, Elissa.
NADWORNY: So remind us about this travel ban imposed by President Trump earlier this year.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Well, there are 39 countries who are under either a full or partial travel ban. For 19 of those countries, the State Department has suspended issuing all visas. For the rest, it has partially suspended it. The Trump administration has said they are doing this to, quote, "ensure that individuals approved for a visa do not endanger national security or public safety." Now, Elissa, the issue is that four countries in those lists are expected to play in the FIFA World Cup and play matches here in the U.S. I'm talking about Iran and Haiti, who are under the full travel ban, and Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal, who are under the partial ban.
NADWORNY: OK. So how does the ban apply to the players and coaches then?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Well, this applies mostly to the people in those countries, the visitors, you know, who are looking to come to the U.S. to see family or attend the games, not the teams. However, in the case of Iran, things are complicated because of the war against that country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iranian players are welcome as long as they have not served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This means that Iran's team captain, Mehdi Taremi, might not be granted a visa since he completed his mandatory military service in the Guard Corps. I talked to Jamal Abdi. He's the president of the National Iranian American Council. He says the ban has created an untenable situation for many Iranians.
JAMAL ABDI: It would be really great if Iranians and Iranian Americans could see one another, and the people of our two countries could actually have a venue to celebrate. But we're not even able to have Iranians have basic immigration processing move forward because of that suspension, not to mention the total ban.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Abdi also worries about the threat of violence against Iranian Americans outside of the stadiums.
NADWORNY: So what are the implications of these bans on tourism?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Well, we're starting to see how Trump's immigration policies are having an impact on tourism for the World Cup, Elissa. The American Hotel and Lodging Association released a survey earlier this month that found hotel bookings in many host cities are running far below projections, in part because of a perception that international travelers may face lengthy visa wait times, increased visa fees and lingering uncertainty around entry processing. So the impact could go beyond just people who would be traveling from countries included in the ban. That's what Victor Matheson told me. He is a big soccer fan and a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross.
VICTOR MATHESON: I think you're going to see a lot of fans from European countries who have been at the butt of President Trump's antagonistic words say, look, I love the World Cup, but, you know, maybe I'll sit this one out and save my money for 2030, when the event comes to Spain and Portugal.
NADWORNY: OK. So another barrier from the Trump administration is a visa bond program. So nationals of 50 countries will have to pay up to $15,000. That will be refunded when the person departs the U.S. Has that changed this week?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yes. The visa bond posed a huge barrier for people wanting to visit the U.S. This week, though, the Trump administration said the bond will be waived for those who have already purchased a FIFA World Cup ticket, but that might be too late. I mean, buying a plane ticket now can be crazy expensive, especially because of the soaring jet fuel prices.
NADWORNY: NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán. Thanks.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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