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Biggest U.S. Travel Lobby Praises Official Tasked to Build Trump's Border Wall

Andrew Sheivachman

Photo Credit: CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan, center, reviews border wall prototypes with President Donald J. Trump. McAleenan oversaw the chaotic implementation of Trump's travel bans last year. Flickr / U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Skift Take

In times of protectionism and nativism, it's important to stand up to the forces that want to close minds and borders alike. The travel industry should do more to make a case for itself, and that starts with opposing policies that create a divide with the rest of the world.

The travel industry, like any other major player in the U.S. economy, gets involved in the political process to pursue its goals. So the latest announcement from the U.S. Travel Association is confounding for an industry that should be protecting its interests in an age of protectionism and discrimination. On Tuesday, U.S. Travel president and CEO Roger Dow announced support for the confirmation of new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner Kevin McAleenan. There's an issue, though: McAleenan oversaw the chaotic (and possibly illegal) implementation of President Donald J. Trump's travel ban in January 2017, just a week after taking over as acting commissioner of the CBP, and will be in charge of building the wall across the U.S. border with Mexico, the very idea that has led to a steep drop off in legal international visitation from Mexico. "On behalf of the U.S. travel community, I extend my hearty

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