Posted on 07/19/2025 8:56:35 AM PDT by Macho MAGA Man
They get the money back when they properly leave.
It’s a refundable deposit.
the main reason illegals come is for $$$$
so if you fine them and take away all the dollars they make, they will serve as a deterrent to others.
Re: higher fees to enter national parks.
Not sure how this would work in practice, because most foreign visitors to U.S. will want to visit a number of national parks (if any) and so will probably buy the America the Beautiful annual pass (last time I checked was $80), and from that point on you just show the pass and enter any national park with a fee. So that pass would need to be re-costed differently for U.S. residents and foreign visitors.
Another problem for collection of higher fees is that many visitors rent cars at airports and so there’s a natural tendency for park gate personnel to assume you’re from the state indicated on vehicle license plate, there is currently no part of park entry requiring identification.
By the way, I’m neutral on the idea, it’s already quite expensive for Americans themselves to enter the national parks. For example Bryce Canyon is something like $35 a day.
On balance, I would say get the revenue from tourists in some other way, at some point you’re just going to inhibit tourism altogether so it doesn’t matter what extra amounts could be collected in theory, no extra amounts will be collected in total, and the economy depends more on totals than averages.
I was worried about this until I looked into it. I volunteer with a group that has an exchange program with high school students. I didn’t want this to be another hassle to contend with. It turns out, many countries are unaffected.
There are over 40 countries that have deals with the US where no visa is required. Countries like Japan and Italy. Places where tourists would typically come from.
Now, if you come from a place like Pakistan or Venezuela, you will need to pay the $250. It will be refunded to you when you leave. In other words, it’s like a bond, promising that you will actually depart.
Still cheaper than Disneyland.
Precisely! You’ll get refunded.
Okay. Sounds good. So the check is in the mail?
I would imagine it’s put back on a credit card, but I do wonder about the cash or check options…
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