Trump angry as Republicans struggle to pass tax bill
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9 News
35 minutes ago
- 9 News
How a meme could land you in hot water at the US border
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here It's every traveller's worst fear. You arrive in a new country after a long flight, line up for hours and present your passport – only to be pulled aside by an immigration officer. There have been multiple reports of Australian travellers being refused entry into the United States over seemingly frivolous reasons. There have been multiple reports recently of Australian travellers being refused entry into the US. (Anadolu via Getty Images) Some said they were asked to hand over their phone so officers can downloads its contents. One Norwegian man claimed he was denied because he had an unflattering meme of US Vice President JD Vance on his phone. An Australian writer, Alistair Kitchen, reported last month he was sent home after being interrogated about his blogging on political protests. He later claimed officials found "evidence of drug use" on his phone and he felt coerced into admitting he had tried drugs in the past. The threat of being detained and sent back home now lingers for Australians hoping to holiday in the US. But are immigration officers really ramping up their efforts to stop Australians and other nationalities from entering the US under the Trump administration? Melbourne-based immigration lawyer Sherwin Noorian told US officials are simply flexing a legal muscle that has always existed. Melbourne-based immigration lawyer Sherwin Noorian, principal lawyer of Globalised Pty Ltd. (Supplied) But Noorian said travellers shouldn't feel coerced into admitting prior drug use or their political beliefs to an immigration officer. "The US has very strict controlled substances laws for non-citizens who are travelling to the US, so even admitting to using marijuana once in one's home country… they can use that against the traveller and deny them entry," Noorian explained. "There's a bit of nuance to it and it may not legally stand up, but they can kind of do whatever they want at that point." Noorian's advice is to never "incriminate yourself" if you've never been convicted of anything. He's also noticed an "anecdotal" rise in reported cases of travellers being detained and their phones confiscated. It's always been done, but he posits the theory that immigration officers could now be using an "advanced computing system to scan the devices for anything they deem suspicious or of concern". He also said travellers do have a right to refuse a request to give up their phone, but warns this could result in automatic entry refusal. "It's a condition of entry, so to speak, that you would hand over that device when asked," he added. Noorian said travellers shouldn't feel coerced into admitting prior drug use or their political beliefs to an immigration officer. (Anadolu via Getty Images) Noorian said he is aware of reports that travellers are being turned away at the border over phone content that is critical of the Trump administration, including memes or political posts. He suspects travellers who have been granted an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa waiver may be flagged and interrogated at the border for a variety of reasons and sometimes it's not hard to find one that sticks. "That could be used, especially if they're high-profile, as a reason to take someone aside to question them and give them a hard time," he said. "If they're those types of officers who, and not all of them are like this, but some would be looking for people who are against the administration or against what they deem to be the US interest, they would use that as a reason to question someone and begin that interview." A meme alone wouldn't be enough to deny entry, Noorian said. "But through the course of that [interview], they would begin looking for what they can use to build a case to deny entry," he added. Noorian said the ESTA, which most Australians use to enter the US, does not guarantee entry. The first time a traveller is genuinely assessed under an ESTA, he said, is once you land on US soil. "For most people, they wait until they're in the country and then they say, 'OK, we're going to assess you for your eligibility to enter,'" he said. "I think the Smartraveller advice on this is really quite accurate when they say, be aware that the US authorities have a high level of discretion for visa waiver entries. "It means even more for an Australian traveller than someone coming from Canada or the UK." Most Australian travellers enter the US under the ESTA visa waiver. (PA Images via Getty Images) The current Smartraveller advice for Australians travelling to the US warns that "entry requirements are strict". "US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law," the advice reads. All hope is not lost for a US holiday if you're denied entry under an ESTA, though. Noorian said he's had cases of clients being refused entry but then able to enter the US through a visitor visa obtained via the US consulate. "It's not a lifetime ban, they can reapply, but in this environment, it depends on the circumstances," he added. "If they admitted to drug use, that could be a big problem. "But it can be overcome. We've done that before." US Homeland Security officials have disputed that a Norwegian tourist was denied entry due to a meme and said he was turned away for admitting to drug use. Australia USA US POLITICS Donald Trump Travel immigration law CONTACT US Property News: Sixteen-person rental sparks outrage in US.
Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
Congress approves Trump sweeping tax-cut, spending bill
On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Congress approves Trump sweeping tax-cut, spending bill
President Donald Trump's tax-cut package has cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law. The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign. It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $US3.4 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) to the nation's $US36.2 trillion ($A55.1 trillion) debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Despite concerns over the 869-page bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programs, Republicans largely lined up in support, with only two of the House's 220 Republicans voting against it. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin. Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. Republican Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina described the bill as bringing: "Historic tax relief for working families. Massive investment to secure our nation's borders. Capturing generational savings. Slashing waste, fraud and abuse in government programs so that they may run more efficiently." Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured. "The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber's history. Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening Congress as he pressed them to send him the legislation by the July 4 Independence Day holiday. "FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!" he wrote on social media. Republicans raced to meet that deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $US4.5 trillion ($A6.9 trillion) over 10 years and cut spending by $US1.1 trillion ($A1.7 trillion). Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments - changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO. Republicans added $US50 billion ($A76 billion) for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business. Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts. The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody's downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive. On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump's 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded. The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises. The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive healthcare cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May. During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a "retaliatory tax" on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street.
