How Trump’s plan to charge foreigners more is causing chaos at national parks

Visitors traveling to the most popular national parks are facing a new question at the gate: Are you a United States resident?

That question is already causing longer wait times to enter parks and is leading some foreign tourists to turn away at the gates. Experts describe the “America-first pricing” as another example of the Trump administration targeting immigrants.

“It’s meant to make people feel nervous and uncomfortable and make the decision to either stay away or to modify their plans based on their identities,” said Mneesha Gellman, a political scientist at Emerson College who serves as an expert witness in U.S. immigration court.

“It really is being used to sow fear.”

In November, the Trump administration announced it would hike visitor fees for people who are not U.S. residents, with 11 popular parks charging a $100 surcharge in addition to the entrance fee. America the Beautiful passes, which include admission to the entire National Park system, cost an additional $170 for nonresidents.

“The updated fee structure reflects the significant investment made by U.S. taxpayers to support these public lands, while still welcoming international visitors who help sustain local economies and share in our nation’s natural and cultural heritage,” said Elizabeth Peace, an Interior Department spokeswoman, in a statement. “This policy reflects the Administration’s belief that America’s public lands should be enjoyed by everyone who visits our country lawfully and responsibly.”

The parks subject to the additional fees are Acadia National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and Zion National Park.

That policy went into effect on Jan. 1 and is already having an impact, according to four people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

That includes slowing down entry to parks as staff question visitors about whether they are U.S. residents, which can generate confusion because of the wide array of possible immigration statuses and visas.

At multiple parks, this has led to long lines and wait times at entrance gates, with staff saying they expect the problem to worsen when visitation peaks in the summer months ahead.

The NPS website says visitors must show proof of citizenship or residency in the form of a passport, driver’s license, state ID or green card to purchase a pass. But an internal NPS directive reviewed by The Washington Post instructs staff to ask groups, “How many people visiting are not U.S. citizens or residents?”

The document says “the fee collector does not need to check the identification of every visitor.” Two park employees confirmed they are taking visitors at their word and not checking IDs, except when it’s required to buy or use an annual pass.

Even the questioning leads to uncomfortable conversations, one of the employees said.

“We feel a bit conflicted in what we’re doing or it doesn’t feel right,” the person said. “We don’t want to make visitors feel unwelcome.”

The staffers, who work at separate parks, said every day groups of foreign visitors are deciding not to enter the park when asked about their residency and told they will have to pay higher fees.

“Wait times are absolutely longer because we have to ask more questions,” the second park staffer said. “If someone doesn’t meet residency requirements then we have to explain everything to them. This can be made extra difficult with language barriers.”

Deciding who counts as a U.S. resident is difficult when there are hundreds of different immigration statuses, said Julia Gelatt, an associate director of U.S. immigration policy at the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank.

“I don’t know how somebody from the Park Service who’s not trained in immigration law is meant to tell who is a citizen or permanent resident,” she said.

The policy is part of a larger Trump administration strategy to send a message that the interests of U.S.-born Americans come before those of immigrants, Gelatt said. That includes restricting immigrant access to public programs, as well as escalating Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, Gelatt said.

An undocumented immigrant is likely to face a risk at a National Park only if ICE or other immigration enforcement agents are present, she said, noting examples in the Washington, D.C., area of immigration arrests in parks.

Verifying visitor’s residency status adds to the workload of already overburdened park staff, said Emily Douce, deputy vice president for government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy group.

NPCA estimates that the Trump administration cut 4,000 Park Service employees last year, about a quarter of the overall staff.

“There is going to be a lot of confusion because it’s not easy to implement such a complicated system of new rules in such a short amount of time,” she said.

She added that it remains unclear how the fee policy “could affect park visitation or the tourism economies of surrounding gateway communities. Any policy that keeps people from visiting our national parks is a problem.”