United States | News & Politics

I know two people who recently went to the US. One had to go for business reasons, and we assumed there would be no problems (although werent sure). Indeed no problems.

The other one went to visit family, and we were concerned. In that case there was an increased questioning at the airport but also no actual problems.

Now, both of these are pretty unpolitical people. If you have any past of sharing certain political views online or on your device: yeah don't even bother to think about going there.

Some examples:

• Irish tourist detained for ~100 days, for overstaying by 3 days due to a medical condition, despite notifying authorities/
• Australian detained and deported in "traumatic ordeal" for blogging sympathetically towards Gaza protesters
• Advice for those deciding to travel to the US anyway
• Not directly related, but it's the sort of thing that's discouraging travel for sure

I would not fly to the US even if I got paid for it. I value my life and the US politics look like a serious threat to my wellbeing.

So, count me (German) into the group of „stay the hell away from the US“ people.

I am a US citizen living abroad. Even I'm afraid to go back home to see my family.

Even as an American I don't understand why tourism hasn't dropped more than it has. I know it's down but I'm amazed people are still coming at all.

But, it's true that the mainstream media isn't really reporting on this, Trump's 'flood the zone' strategy works exceedingly well.

Go read about how empty Las Vegas is and all the people scratching their heads wondering why no one wants to come. Personally, I think the people who say they don't know are lying or stupid.

Oh wow, it's true. This is from April, it was 8 at that time:

One Kiwi woman in her 40s was allegedly detained at San Francisco Airport for 15 hours and forced to buy a return ticket to New Zealand after officials took issue with the visa she’d been issued by the State Department.

Planning to visit her partner in Florida, who works on a fixed-term contract, before holidaying in Europe, the woman was allegedly questioned for five hours over her visa, Arizona-based author Wendilynn Kay alleged in a post reshared on Facebook.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/travel-news/eight-kiwis-detained-at-us-border-since-november-mfat-reminds-travellers-of-entry-rules-amid-safetravel-review/BUP6FRREGJE33FEV4IJ334VSVQ/

Oh for fucks sake, stay away. Most of us know exactly what is going on. Stay they fuck away for a dozen years or so while we fight our out of it, or show up to help. Either way, don’t come here to holiday. We gotta unfuck ourselves first.

I watch Telemundo with subtitles in my office when I want to have something on so I can try to learn a little more Spanish. Everyday they're talking about ICE abducting people. It's wild. And it's local Telemundo. This shit is fucked.

I told someone from UK recently that yeah, America is cool, I think it's worth seeing some of the national parks, but maybe wait until this administration is out because holy FUCK.

You aren't supposed to travel into Nazi Germany right as they are setting up the concentration camps. US tourism should be zero if you don't have family here

What has been particularly telling for me as an Aussie is the sheer number of radio ads I've heard in the past few months trying to get people to travel to the US, or offering competitions where the prize is a US holiday (which, if I was the type to actually phone and enter radio station competitions, would be a deterrant for me!). It's clear that US tourism has taken a nose-dive and plenty of us non-Americans don't want to visit any more (it's a bit disappointing as there are a few things I would like to have seen, but wouldn't risk going there now).

As an American I can confirm we are absolute trash right now and we're sealing our fate for at least a generation.

People the world over are going to spend the rest of their lives at the very least having a bad taste in their mouth when America is brought up. Things may "normalize" and regular trade agreements may resume, but trust is broken and that's long-term.

It's unbelievably depressing to watch from the inside. The shock of finding out that such a high percentage of your fellow citizens are stupid/racist/hateful is profound.

Im a Canadian citizen, but was born in Central America. I have tattoos and anti trump memes on my phone. I at least used to tel myself “at leadte if I get arrested and fucked with, the Canadian government will save me”

Then I saw a report about a white Canadian girl who was detained for weeks. And the Canadian government did nothing and let her rot till the Americans released her. So yeah I ain’t going anywhere near the U.S

This is how state Russian media works. Never cover the truth, like a war with Ukraine. It's a "special military operation".

I'm Canadian and I'd rather get a piping hot poutine enema than visit the US right now.

Was recently at a conference and I wasasked if I would give a presentation at one of the Universities in the US. My rather fast no offended them.

No fucking way, nope nope nope

There were also Swiss and Italian visitors detained.

Congratulations Italians, your honorary whiteness has been revoked and you have been demoted to the "swarthy" category once more. We really are just reinventing OLD SCHOOL racism again.

Never thought I would see the day when anti-Italian racism might actually become a thing again lmao. The Swiss lady was detained most likely because of social media posts about Palestine.

I will never forget this quote from Ben Franklin

Why should the Palatine Boors be suffered to swarm into our Settlements, and by herding together establish their Language and Manners to the Exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion.

Which leads me to add one Remark: That the Number of purely white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth. I could wish their Numbers were increased. And while we are, as I may call it, Scouring our Planet, by clearing America of Woods, and so making this Side of our Globe reflect a brighter Light to the Eyes of Inhabitants in Mars or Venus, why should we in the Sight of Superior Beings, darken its People? why increase the Sons of Africa, by Planting them in America, where we have so fair an Opportunity, by excluding all Blacks and Tawneys, of increasing the lovely White and Red? But perhaps I am partial to the Complexion of my Country, for such Kind of Partiality is natural to Mankind.

That's right Ben fucking Franklin thought Germans were not white enough lmao

Remember the countries Trump called shitholes? That's America for most sane Europeans. It's a shithole counrty where you'll be detained if you've got a meme of Jester D. Vance.

People who watch fox news don't know anything. Those of us who read the news from various sources are aware of what's happening. Sadly, we're a very small minority. What's happening here is scary as hell, especially when you see so many people just acting like everything is normal, either because they actually think that or they just don't know what else to do. I hope democracy will survive this, but the architects of its demise have been largely unimpeded so far. If I wasn't American, there's no fucking way I would come here with the fulvous fascist in power. Fuck trump. Fuck fascism.

Literally just had to explain to my wife that her friends may be OK visiting as they are white but that it's not a great idea to be travelling to the US.

Regrettably I feel it's the minority in alot of countries that have these moral sensibilities

To be fair, before that I was already afraid to go there too. There are so many people with guns and so many mass shootings, my chances of getting shot would skyrocket.

They know. The voted for it and are witnessing it quietly.

But don't forget the files guys. Keep talking about the files instead.

Yeah, wow. First I'm hearing of it and I live here.

They're doing US citizens too though, so it doesn't surprise me.

Why are New Zealanders being detained?