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British-born CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour recently shared her travel apprehensions regarding a trip to the United States. In a candid conversation on her podcast “The Ex Files,” she drew a striking comparison, stating that preparing for her visit felt similar to heading to North Korea.
During a discussion with her ex-husband Jamie Rubin, a former official with the State Department, Amanpour recounted her experience at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she delivered a speech last month. Despite her prominence in the media landscape, she expressed significant unease about the possibility of being stopped by border security.
“I must say I was afraid,” Amanpour remarked. “I’m a foreigner. I don’t have a green card. I’m not an American citizen. I’m fairly prominent, and I literally prepared to go to America as if I was going to North Korea.” She explained her decision to travel with a burner phone, leaving behind her regular mobile device and iPad. “Imagine that. I didn’t take a single one of my gadgets, and I had nothing on the burner phone except a few numbers,” she added.
Amanpour’s concerns were not unfounded. Prior to her trip, she consulted CNN’s security department, prompted by reports of other British nationals facing either lengthy detentions or being turned away at U.S. borders. To her relief, she found that her entry into the country was smooth, and the immigration officer she encountered was exceptionally accommodating.
“So, a huge sigh of relief I breathed, but wow, can you imagine if I’m afraid, what do others think?” Amanpour questioned, highlighting her concern for other foreign travelers who might share her fears.
Rubin weighed in on the broader implications of societal sentiments towards immigrants, suggesting that the rhetoric and policies introduced during President Donald Trump’s administration added to the atmosphere of fear and scrutiny. He referenced the president’s attempts to bar Harvard University from accepting foreign students as part of a broader narrative against non-Americans.
“With Donald Trump’s basically weaponization of the immigration and naturalization service to scrutinize people, to imagine that every single non-American is a threat to the United States, is a war on what our country has been since its founding,” Rubin asserted. His comments underscore the concerns many hold about the current political climate and its impact on the perception of foreigners.
The discussion on Amanpour’s podcast came just hours prior to the Trump administration’s announcement of an executive order aimed at blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries deemed
