Story perspectives

Trump Visa Restrictions Cut Lifeguard Applicants 5-10%

5/28/2026

Center

Trump Visa Crackdown

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has tightened visa and green-card processes, reducing international student workers for summer pools.
Continental Pools reports a sharp decline in BridgeUSA lifeguards after Turkish students failed to secure U.S. embassy appointments.
Mike Collins, Aquatics director, Continental Pools, says 500 students hired but gaps remain without BridgeUSA.
United Work & Travel President Kasey Simon reports a 5-10% applicant drop from embassy delays.

Left

Protesters Demand Release

Protesters outside Delaney Hall in Newark were hit with pepper balls and tear gas while demanding conditions for detained migrants.
Continental Pools reported a sharp decline in BridgeUSA lifeguards after Turkish students failed to secure U.S. embassy appointments.
Democratic Representative Robert Menendez Jr. condemned the privately run detention center and urged its closure.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said detainees staged hunger strike protesting mistreatment.

History

Historical Context

President Donald Trump’s Jan 27 2017 Executive Order 13769 halted visas for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries, revoking roughly 60,000 visas and detaining over 700 travelers, sparking nationwide campus protests and legal battles. The order’s disruption of international students now resurfaces as BridgeUSA lifeguard cuts and Senator Robert Menendez’s call to close the Newark center, reviving community mobilization.

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Trump Visa Crackdown

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has tightened visa and green-card processes, reducing international student workers for summer pools.
Continental Pools reports a sharp decline in BridgeUSA lifeguards after Turkish students failed to secure U.S. embassy appointments.
Mike Collins, Aquatics director, Continental Pools, says 500 students hired but gaps remain without BridgeUSA.
United Work & Travel President Kasey Simon reports a 5-10% applicant drop from embassy delays.

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