On October 2nd, USCIS announced a policy that will block immigrants who are members or affiliates of the Communist Party from becoming permanent residents, reports TelesurEnglish.
The policy seems to be a part of the US’ aggressive policies against Chinese expansionism as it effectively blocks members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)- which has over 90 million members- from ever obtaining permanent residency or citizenship in the United States.
Telesur reports that 2.5 million people, that is, 5.5% of the foreign born population in the U.S in 2018 were Chinese citizens. 67,000 Chinese immigrants were granted U.S. permanent residency that year, ranking it third in the nation of origin, after Mexico and Cuba. There are no official figures on how many of these immigrants were members of the Communist Party.
The Qiao Collective writes:
Keep in mind with more than 90 million members, the Communist Party of China is by far the largest Communist Party in the world.
This immigration ban is a thinly-veiled Chinese Exclusion act, designed to uphold U.S. empire and declare war on actually existing socialism.
— Qiao Collective (@qiaocollective) October 3, 2020
This policy is built on laws dating back to the 1918, which classified communists and anarchists as “security threats”, and to 1950 when the Internal Security Act excluded foreign members of Communist or “totalitarian” parties from becoming naturalized U.S. citizens.
On 5th October this year, the United States accused China of threatening the global economy by exploiting natural resources; “While the Chinese people have suffered the worst environmental impacts of its actions, Beijing also threatens the global economy and global health by unsustainably exploiting natural resources and exporting its willful disregard for the environment through its One Belt One Road initiative,” the report added. Ironically, Trumps economic policies have been criticised of doing the same.
Attack on the Communist Party & Global Left
The policy excludes Communist parties in India, where they are part of the opposition and hold little power. A subsequent clause states that it applies to members of a communist party, “organised on a dictatorial basis, with so close an identity with its governmental policies, that the party and the government constitute an indistinguishable unit”. India, which is dominated by a right wing party- though arguably totalitarian- would not make the cut.
Besides China,- who pose an economic threat to America as a superpower- this would impact millions in Cuba, Vietnam, Laos along with others. This adds a new dimension to American aggression towards the left- both within their state as well as those who may be pose a threat to global right and liberal capitalist nations. Many such nations had been forced into isolation in the past, and/or economically deprived.
