AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
President Trump's latest travel ban goes into effect tomorrow. It bars people from 12 countries from entering the U.S. and restricts travel from others. The restrictions will immediately affect much of South Florida, a region that is home to large immigrant communities from Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba. Sergio Bustos, vice president for news at member station WLRN in Miami, has been following this development and is with us now. Thank you so much for joining us.
SERGIO BUSTOS, BYLINE: Thank you.
RASCOE: What's the reaction from these communities to the travel ban?
BUSTOS: You know, fear, anxiety, uncertainty and anger comes as no real surprise when you consider South Florida has the nation's largest Venezuelan, Haitian and Cuban communities. So tens of thousands of families will be cut off from each other under the travel ban. So many families will be separated because often one parent will travel with children while the other stays behind in the home country. Many of them say it's devastating news.
RASCOE: When news of the travel ban first came out, there didn't seem to be much reaction to it. It was kind of muted. Like, why was that?
BUSTOS: Well, it's interesting. There are frequently protests here in Miami on the weekends over Trump's immigration policies. But so far, things have been relatively quiet. I think that's because these immigrants are facing so many other obstacles, the travel ban being just the latest on top of a long list of policies that aim to remove legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants. Right now, many are at risk of being deported, while those issues get challenged in the lower courts. So these immigrant communities are pretty stunned and overwhelmed by the dizzying number of policies President Trump is enacting.
RASCOE: What else are you hearing now that the travel ban is about to begin?
BUSTOS: Several community leaders we spoke to immediately condemned Trump's announcement with some accusing the administration of racism and xenophobia for singling out countries with large populations of people of color. When Venezuelan American activists said Trump's action was not immigration policy, but, quote, "white nationalism masquerading as immigration policy," unquote. Many Haitian residents are perplexed and afraid. Most of the capital of Haiti is controlled by a coalition of gangs. Listen to Pierre Imbert. He's a Haitian American in Miami who co-founded a nonprofit that promotes development projects in gang-ravaged areas of Haiti. He says Haitians need help.
PIERRE IMBERT: Tell me about the rational thinking of this thing, if we shouldn't be appealing to our friends in the United States government to understand the unfairness of this ban on 13 million Haitians. This is part of an important lifeline.
BUSTOS: It's indeed a lifeline not only for Haitians, but Venezuelans and Cubans. And that's why there is so, so much uncertainty in all three communities here in South Florida.
RASCOE: What has the Trump administration said about this?
BUSTOS: The White House issued a report last week that says the influx of migrants from these countries presents a security risk, and it says they don't have adequate ways of screening people. The report also maintains the U.S. was harmed by the large influx of people entering the country illegally from Haiti under the Biden administration, but didn't cite evidence of that harm.
RASCOE: That's Sergio Bustos, vice president for news at member station WLRN in Miami. Thank you so much for talking with us today.
BUSTOS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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