Immigration, Nationalism, and Power: Assessing the Impact of Trump’s Immigration Policies on America’s Future Global Role

Abstract

In this work, the author examines the point of contact between immigration policy, nationalism, and international power by evaluating how the restrictive immigration agenda of President Trump affects the international leadership position of the United States. Using the case study approach of research design through qualitative analysis of policy documents, diplomatic speech, and media coverage, the study defines how the travel ban, separation of families, and limits on asylum impacted the nationalist ideology and transformed the views of America as a soft power and a legitimate nation. The results indicate that the Trump immigration crackdown has led to the reduction in international approval, damaged alliances, and the loss of normative leadership of the U.S. in terms of human rights and multilateralism. The paper presents the idea that nationalist internationalization policies, though strategically important in the domestic context, hurt the long-term world power and reputation. It adds to the literature on political economy and international relations by making connections between domestic populism and undermining the liberal world order and demanding the policy to be adjusted in response to the loss of international trust.