Would you visit USA in the current climate?

Thelonious Monk

I'm seeing German and Canadian tourists being held by ICE over very minor things.

When I was on my J1 early 2000s my friends and I had a party and the police threw us in a cell overnight for having music too loud.

In around 2006 I worked for HP and they were sending a few of us to Colorado for training and we were refused entry in Dublin customs because one of our group said we were going to work instead of training and Mr Immigration Officer didn't like that. Years later another job sent me a couple of times to Indianapolis with no problems at immigration.

I'd be afraid now that they'd pick up on the arrest or refusal and you could disappear for a few weeks. So my answer is definitely a hard no. I've no interest in the place anyway.

Thoughts?

artanevilla

Well if you're not going, I'm not going.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283758#Comment_123283758

Artane says no to Trump (Brookwood OG here)

cml387

A high risk is entering via a land border. A colleague of mine was refused entry and deported at the Canada border despite travelling on legitimate business and being a relatively common visitor to the US.

quartz1

I wouldn’t want to visit there again even if the trip was free. They voted for Trump and they’re all welcome to him now .

Rawr

Unless the trip was absolutly essential for work (and even then, I'd be questiong if it was really nessisary), I would not touch the States now. Their agencies are getting punch-drunk on deporting any odd non-US visitor for any reason that catches their fancy.

It's a crying shame of course, because there are still plenty of very good Americans and nice stuff to see. But they way they've gone now it's not an attractive option in the least.

whisky_galore

US border control was always a bit arsey if you looked at one of them funny or gave a smartass answer to a question, but that wouldn't put me off.

easygoing39

Just got back form Vegas on Wednesday morning.Emigration officer hardly looked at my passport on the way out in Dublin.Not one person I met out there mentioned Trump or any politic's.On St Patricks Day all the waitress's had their green t-shirts on them etc.Went to Kingman on Route 66 for a day out,and even there I saw locals wearing green for the day thats in it.I feel that Ireland and the Irish are still most welcome in Nevada at least.

magicbastarder

last time i was in the states was 2003. i've never been bothered going since, and once they introduced fingerprinting that made that 'not bothered' into 'not doing it'.

TerrieBootson

I don't see why not. I have all my paperwork in order, in date and on my person, unlike the "Victims" in the OP. They may have been treated badly, but wouldn't have been targeted if they had their stuff in order

Marty Bird

Yes. I would have no issue travelling to USA. I hope to travel in October all going well.

SuperBowserWorld

"the current climate"

Oh no, at least 30 years before we can determine if it has changed.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283884#Comment_123283884

Not good enough. If you f*ck up a little and stay an extra day or two and are put in chains and disappeared for 2 weeks for something as small as that, I think it's going to deter a lot of folks. I'm sure majority of people will be fine with going but many won't be.

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283792#Comment_123283792

Yep. They refused entry to a french guy because he had exchanged messages that were anti Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/trump-musk-french-scientist-detained

Hippodrome Song Owl

No, not in the current situation. I have no history of arrests or any issues, even minor, in the US, but I simply don't trust the current setup. I would, of course, only go if I was sure I had my paperwork, etc, in order, but then several of those who have been detained also believed they had their stuff in order too. Sure, it may be sorted out eventually, but it's not worth the possibile hassle.

My family in America have been home a good bit lately, and they have become obnoxious MAGA freaks - full blown, like caricatures fulfilling every stereotype. An American colleague is similar but on a slightly more subtle scale - it's better hidden. It's all very off-putting. It just doesn't appeal at all now, and I won't be attending a family wedding there this year.

eightieschewbaccy

I might end up going for work and would have been something I'd be okay with doing a few years back. But now I'm very meh on such a trip. Regret not going back during that relatively normal 4 year period though.

bikeman1

I have no problem at all and will be going in May again. Just like thousands of other Irish and Europeans whose life continues regardless of who is in charge of the country. There are many leaders of countries around the world, that one might not agree with, that doesn't mean you don't go there.

Life goes on there and will for the next 4 years. A few people not going there isn't going to change anything.

myfreespirit

Haven't been back to the States since 2006, and definitely not going there in the current climate.

US Immigration officials were unpleasant even then and they appear to have be emboldened by the current regime.

Imagine being denied entry because you have made critical comments about the president of a country 😳 - it's something you might imagine would happen in North Korea or some similar s#1thole.

Rawr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283968#Comment_123283968

And they will very seriously need to cut that out right away. This is a country that routinely harps on about the First Amendment and freedom of speech, but if they are blocking people because they say something bad about the Dear Leader we're quite literally in North Korea territory with that kind of BS.

In any genuine democracy is it 100% OK to call out the Head of State and the government and say you don't like them. If a visitor is on the way into Ireland and has social media posts describing Higgins as a f*ckwit and the entire government as a shower of w*nkers, but otherwise fullfils all the usual legal requirements for entry, then they should be let in. They shouldn't have to be in agreement with the government, and in most sane counties that is not a crime.

TerrieBootson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283968#Comment_123283968

That's a weird one. Unverified.

According to an anonymous "diplomatic source" who spoke to AFP, the researcher's phone and work computer were searched by border officials as part of a random check. 

It was not possible to locate the researcher who was denied entry. It was also not possible to confirm which conference he was due to attend.

.Snopes

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283968#Comment_123283968

I note that nobody has actually released what the messages were, as far as I know. The statement was "that reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism"

There is going to be a significant difference in reaction, for example, between "That orange buffoon is destroying the American scientific community", and "that orange buffoon is destroying the American scientific community and needs to have a bullet between the eyes".

If the former, the refusal to allow admission is unreasonable. If the latter, then suddenly the headline might be a tinge misleading.

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284179#Comment_123284179

Except it was the french minister for education who initially made the statement.

The AP contacted a source who said it happened too. So that's two sources and one of whom said it publicly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284203#Comment_123284203

.

The US government isn't going to release the messages and the french government are protecting the identity of the scientist.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283936#Comment_123283936

The Canadian woman locked up in various facilities for 2 weeks seems to have done nothing wrong.

I wasn't aware of the German woman doing anything either but am less familiar.

spurious

Was considering going to see the proposed revival of 'Chess' the musical on Broadway in late 2025, but changed my mind and planing now to go to Cuba instead in 2026.

Cordell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284154#Comment_123284154

Actually they should not. Entry is a privilege, not a right, and if someone doesn't show respect for the country they seek the privilege to be allowed in then they can fk right off.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283813#Comment_123283813

That's because you're expected to spend a **** load of money in Vegas

Hibernicis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123283813#Comment_123283813

All that's needed to get into Vegas is a fat wallet and a pulse

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284304#Comment_123284304

I agree. If they don't want you to enter you should be "fuked off"

That's not what is happening though. They are detaining people for weeks without any legal representation.

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284286#Comment_123284286

According to her statement, the last time she tried obtaining a visa at that port of entry, she was refused, and allowed to return to Mexico. The second time is the one she was detained, and was informed that as a result of the previous rejection she needed to swing by a US consulate for the visa, instead of flying to Mexico and coming up through San Ysidro. She may not have caught the fine print resulting from the previous visit.

I don't see why she shouldn't have just been refused again instead of going through the whole detention process (I'm not familiar with CBP regulations or policies regarding repeated failed attempts to enter), but she does seem to have done at least something wrong by not going to the consulate before starting her trip.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284286#Comment_123284286

Correct. She was travelling on a valid work visa but was detained because she was flagged as having been denied a visa previously.

It's actually terrifying how you can just be disappeared within the system. Nobody knew where she was, what was happening with her case, anything. And she was a white, native English-speaking woman from a first world country, with good connections, people who could advocate for her, etc. What hope does anyone from the "wrong" country with the "wrong" skin colour have???

The place is literally turning into Gilead and I have absolutely zero interest in going their under the current circumstances.

Edited to add the link to her story that I meant to include:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney

easygoing39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123284329#Comment_123284329

Well they did'nt get much money from me,did'nt even enter any of the hotels/casino's!!!