Trump official insists overhauled visa system won't scare away foreign investment

“Trump official insists overhauled visa system won't scare away foreign investment Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Tue, 05/05/2026 - 19:43 Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed 'regret' over the deportation of South Korean businesspeople last year US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau takes questions from the foreign press corps at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor, Maryland, on 5 May 2026 (Yasmine El-Sabawi/MEE) Off The US government is working on overhauling its visa system to accommodate foreigners who come to do business in the US, a top Trump administration official said on Tuesday. Speaking at the SelectUSA Investment Summit - the largest annual convention to bring in foreign investment - Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau acknowledged that last year's immigration raid, detention, and deportation of more than 300 South Korean business consultants and workers from a Hyundai factory in the state of Georgia was one of "regret". "We are substantially overhauling our visa system to accommodate those concerns," that the US is unpredictable or potentially unsafe, Landau told a briefing for the foreign press corps. "Ultimately, we want to encourage and incentivise foreign countries to invest in the United States, and we need to make sure that our immigration laws and our visa laws, which we are very, very serious about enforcing, do not become an unnecessary impediment to such investment," he added. The September raid caused a diplomatic rift between the US and South Korea, and it came as the Trump administration significantly ramped up its anti-immigration and even anti-foreigner rhetoric. Masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were violently rounding up immigrants across the country, including some American citizens who were born abroad or spoke accented English. International students who protested in support of Gaza and against Israel were ambushed and arrested. Tourists from traditionally visa-free travel partners like Canada, the UK, and Australia were stopped at the border, their devices seized, and they were sometimes locked up in cramped and filthy immigration jails before being deported weeks later. The president also introduced a substantial travel ban on more than a dozen countries, and largely shut down the asylum process. "We need to reconcile our desire to encourage foreign investment in our country with our need to enforce our immigration laws," Landau said on Tuesday. "I don't think that those two things are irreconcilable, but I think that's a challenge for us to make sure that they work." 'Our house is burning down' The exhibition hall typically houses pavilions for most of these states and territories, and this year was no different. At each welcome kiosk, a representative eagerly awaited the opportunity to sell their state as a tech, energy, and manufacturing hub to international delegates. Middle East Eye spoke to four of these representatives, all from states in the Republican, red south: Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida. At least 100,000 foreign national visas revoked since Trump took office Read More » How are they squaring the inhospitable political messaging for foreigners with the active solicitation of millions in foreign investment? MEE is not identifying them as they were not authorised to speak to the press. "There's not a good answer," one representative said. "We're having to speak out of both sides of our mouths to try to make them feel safe and protected." From the outside, the individual added, "America is still America, and it's still the gold standard that they all want to achieve." But on the inside, "we look at it, and our house is burning down". Another representative said their team has had about 200 conversations with prospective business partners over the last two days, noting dynamic interest, even though the numbers have dipped slightly since last year. A third representative who works in the European bureau of their state's commerce arm acknowledged there were concerns, but said the deals being discussed were worth billions and could span decades - far outliving many of today's top government leaders. The SelectUSA Summit, which began under the Obama administration in 2013, has facilitated more than $400bn in investments and supported over 270,000 American jobs, according to the Department of Commerce. A view of the exhibit hall at the 2026 SelectUSA Investment Summit shows the Tennessee, Florida, and Puerto Rico pavilions (Yasmine El-Sabawi/MEE) The US, the agency said, "offers the largest advanced economy consumer market on earth with a GDP of $25 trillion", and is a "stable democracy with a transparent and predictable legal system". "All companies - regardless of national origin - compete on an even playing field." Last year's convention brought in more than 5,000 attendees, with 96 international markets represented, as well as all 56 US states and territories. Economic and commercial diplomacy, Landau said, are "fundamental pillars" of US foreign policy. And while US President Donald Trump has posited himself as the ultimate dealmaker after decades in the real estate business, his decisions have often caused ruptures in global markets, not least because of his wide-ranging tariff levies, but more recently because of his joint war with Israel on Iran, and the subsequent blockading of the Strait of Hormuz. Landau acknowledged that "political leaders... will come and go". "I think there's no more solid foundation for [an] enduring relationship between countries than commercial and economic ties," he said. The 2026 SelectUSA Summit continues through Wednesday. US Politics National Harbor, Maryland News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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