Proclamation 10685-Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Enabling Corruption
Issued 2023-12-11 by Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Plain-English Overview
AI-generated summary explaining what this action does, who it affects, and why it matters
Proclamation 10685 suspends the entry into the United States of certain foreign nationals — specifically individuals who enable or engage in corruption — as immigrants or nonimmigrants. The proclamation uses the President's authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to restrict the entry of foreign nationals whose presence is determined to be detrimental to U.S. national interests. By targeting enablers of corruption, the administration aims to use immigration tools as part of its broader anti-corruption foreign policy agenda.
The proclamation affects foreign nationals who fall within the defined categories of corruption enablers, as well as their family members in some cases. It also affects U.S. anti-corruption policy broadly, signaling that immigration consequences can flow from involvement in foreign corruption. Governments and officials in countries with high corruption levels are indirectly affected.
Presidential proclamations suspending entry of certain foreign nationals are grounded in Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the President broad authority to suspend entry when he finds it would be detrimental to U.S. interests. The Supreme Court upheld this authority in Trump v. Hawaii (2018), though the scope of the authority and the degree of required justification remain subjects of legal debate.
AI-generated summary for educational purposes
Constitutional Analysis
How this action fits (or doesn't) within Article II authority and existing law
This proclamation ("Proclamation 10685-Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Enabling Corruption") imposes or modifies tariffs on of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons Enabling Corruption. The stated rationale is: "NSSM–1), I established the fight against global corruption as a core national security interest, stating that corruption threatens United States national security, economic equity, global anti-poverty and development efforts, and democracy itself." Under Article I, Section 8, Congress holds the power to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations" and to "lay and collect Duties." However, Congress has delegated significant tariff authority to the President through statutes like Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (national security tariffs) and Section 301 of the Trade Act (unfair trade practices).
The constitutional question is the scope of that delegation. Courts have historically upheld broad presidential trade actions under these statutes. But sweeping tariff measures that effectively rewrite trade policy — affecting billions in commerce — raise non-delegation doctrine concerns. When the executive branch makes economic policy of this magnitude unilaterally, it sits at the edge of the separation of powers.
Official Summary
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