The Practical Failures of the Travel Ban
The recently retired commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection details the problems with the ban’s implementation
When Gil Kerlikowske was first tapped to join the Obama administration, he was never asked whether he was a Democrat or a Republican. He had never attended any fundraisers, or campaigned for candidates on either side of the aisle. His decorated career in law enforcement spoke for itself, having served as chief of police in four American cities, including the longest stint in Seattle history.
Perhaps that’s why in 2014, Kerlikowske was confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate as commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection — the first and only CBP commissioner to pass confirmation during the entire Obama administration.
With nearly 60,000 employees, CBP is the United States’ largest law enforcement agency, and the combination of its size and its solemn duty to protect the United States from foreign threats require deft management and leadership.
On January 20th, Kerlikowske retired from his post at CBP and joined the Harvard IOP as a Spring 2017 Fellow. Five days after his retirement, newly sworn-in President Donald Trump signed an executive order limiting travel into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries, sparking legal challenges, protests at airport terminals, and an overall sense of confusion about the order’s implications.
While furious debate has broken out on the legal and ethical merits of the policy, less discussed has been the series of missteps that characterized its rollout.
In this episode of HKS PolicyCast, Kerilkowske discusses the travel ban’s rollout, citing examples of similar policies that were implemented during his tenure, and explaining how a hasty approach combined with a lack of communication contributed to the chaos that ensued.
HKS PolicyCast is the official podcast of Harvard Kennedy School, featuring weekly interviews with scholars and leading practitioners in public policy, leadership, and international affairs. It is hosted by filmmaker, writer, and policy wonk Matt Cadwallader.
