Why is US Immigration so touchy?

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Carrie Symonds is the live-in girlfriend of Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She has no political role, and is reported to take little interest in political matters, but continues to be active on issues such as climate change and women's issues. Last year she visited Somaliland - the breakaway northern part of Somalia - partly to support a friend who campaigns against female genital mutilation, which is rife in that part of the world. She also discussed environmental issues with senior officials and the self-declared president of the region. Carrie Symonds now wants to visit the United States to continue her environmental work. However, she has been refused a visa. Why? Because she has previously visited Somaliland, which the United States does not recognize and regards as a hotbed of Islamic terrorism. This strikes me as absolutely bonkers. Why on earth should one's previous travel itinerary have the remotest bearing on where one goes in the future? I could understand it if Carrie Symonds had gone there to be trained as a terrorist, but that is far from the case. And this is someone who lives at 10 Downing Street! Has the world gone completely mad?