Is USA safe to visit?

[perellonuts]

I can’t even believe I’m asking this but is it safe to visit USA now? I’m concerned about the social media issue, I’m pretty sure I’ve liked one or two anti-trump posts each time I’ve doom scrolled since his first term. Could this be used against me? I definitely feel free speech is not tolerated there now. I’d be travelling with my neuro diverse son, age 7. He is perfectly capable with full autonomy and we travel a lot but being separated with no due process would be a disaster and scares the hell out of me. We’ve been invited to go to collect a prestigious award and they put you in a hotel for a few days etc. We have American friends and family and the first hand ICE stories are horrific.

I work for a US company and am also involved in politics. As a result, there are definitely things on my SM that could be viewed as antiTrumpian, including running a page for my local party group. So far, I have managed to avoid having to travel to US since he was re-elected. It would be extremely problematic for me to hand over all my SM, make my personal pages public etc. I am yet to work out how to deal with all this as it is unlikely I will be able to avoid travel this year too.

I have family in the US and I used to go there all the time - and I know all of them, including my own parents, and my friends, have guns in the house. They are not "wandering the streets" with them but they are available - in fact, one of our family friends shot his wife when she tried to leave and then killed himself. I also heard a story of an acquaintance being shot in a road rage incident. Young kids at school have shooting drills - surely that says a lot?

If you switch the news on there are daily shootings - ok, most of them are robberies and gangs, but I would not like to be anywhere near when this happens.

Suggesting guns issue is not an issue in the US is laughable.

In your circumstances I probably would go, as it would be a shame not to collect the award. I'd imagine thousands of British people do still visit without incident.

However, we've ruled out any discretionary visits for holidays or business until things change. I don't want someone scrolling through my social media to see if I may have said something less than flattering about Trump. The horror stories of tourists being detained by ICE don't fill me with confidence either.

You're not talking about the period and events leading up to and including the holocaust/war? And alluding to the current political landscape of the US being akin to that period? Come on. Respectfully, if you're going to say what you said, then have the gumption to own it. It was minimising and disrespectful to those who lived and were persecuted during that period, no matter what way you want to try and twist away from what you originally said.

I think true freedom of expression was really something I thought the US was upholding. Now, I do know modern history and McCarthy is a famous counter-example. However, I cannot stand the hypocrisy of people claiming to be free speech absolutists curtailing the freedom of those they dislike. I'd never call for Musk for example to shut up (though frankly I wish he would) but I also think we should not be sat here debating whether mild criticisms of MAGA on anonymous forums or being connected with people who are anti Trump is 'risky'.
My problem with the current shift is how the US has gone from standing for the loosely called 'free world' to just the 'rich world'. And indeed, if you look at where global wealth lies, it's no longer the same equation of free = rich. There's plenty of wealth in autocratic or authoritarian regimes whereas 40 years ago, that wasn't the case. I have a problem adjusting to that. Europe on its own will also have that problem as a whole (includes us).

I probably wouldn't visit any country where I had to hand over 5 years of social media posts at the border tbh.

Agreed. I'd NOT travel to the USA atm. SM posts you have made may be detected & you may then be separated from your disabled 7 year old. Autistic people are not treated well in the USA atm. 'Anti Trump' people are not treated well. I have 18 & 21 y/o with ASD. We hate Trump. Safely at home in Scotland. Going to USA, being 'pulled over' & possibly separated by US ICE is horrific. The chances are low but not non-existant. Why risk it? It's not worth it imo.

I literally explained what I meant.

No gumption required. Knowing that rhetoric like Trump’s can lead to events like the holocaust isn’t minimising. It is taking racism and othering seriously. As it should be.

Spending so much time and energy saying that people shouldn’t compare things to the Nazis means we can’t talk about the risks of this kind of racist rhetoric. Dangerous and stupid if you ask me. Sending people to torture prisons in another country without due process is quite far down a very dark road.

I’m American living in the Uk so travel regularly. My worst border control moments were long before trump was in power. Have had a lot of bad experiences under Obama and Biden administrations. Literally had them yelling at me asking me why I don’t live in America. To be honest find it pretty easy at the moment (I’m American but family is British) which has nothing to do with politics but everything to do with more automations at border control. If you have your esta all in order you will be absolutely fine.

This changes things. A lot of universities are protesting Trump and there have been serious unrest - not to mention the occasional shootings.

I wouldnt visit the US unless of close family or work. You honestly couldn’t pay me.

People can say it’s safe and in a lot of places it is (my parents have a house there and I am Canadian with a lot of American friends so I speak from some experience but it’s the what if - what if the customs officials take your son aside, what if there is a protest, what if they don’t let you in, what if there is a shooting - these aren’t hyperbole but real and experienced recent events. Like some countries the US is gliding fingerprinting and photos - will you son be okay with that?

I know people who have been denied entry, I know people who have been detained by customs, I know people who teach at universities with protests and are scared, i know people who have been shouted at and isolated at airports (not ever been convicted of a crime) I know the heavy handiness.

it is wilfully ignorant to not understand the real concerns here.

@paddleboardingmum You don’t. You get the Esta!!!

I totally agree. People conceal guns so clearly they wouldn’t be visible. What an ignorant ting to suggest.

Go to an open house for sale - most eill had gun safes (I had and have seen them in three different states - east coast, west coast and Bible Belt).

Police officers pull you over and pull their guns - I have had this happen to me for speeding.

I have pulled off that motorway and escorted back to the motorway by the police because I exited in a dangerous area.

I have been to concerts where the man act goes on at 7pm to avoid crowds out at night (Detroit) and been escorted to my car with my girlfriend by security.

Unless you actually live there and understand you don’t know.

It'll be completely fine.

I went with my mum in September. I've been vehemently anti-Trump since his first term, and have liked and posted various stuff to social media over the years.

When you fill in the ESTA form before you go, you can opt out of them having permission to look at your social media. I made the decision to opt out, wondering if that might delay the application. It genuinely only took a couple of hours to get approved. No quibble.

My only advice for when you get there would be to be very polite to the person at immigration. Make sure you know where you're staying, and how many nights you're going to be there. Plenty of "yes sir, no sir".

The application process hasn’t changed yet so at the moment declaring social media is optional and not compulsory

Hence why I said I opted out...

Ther would look suspicious in itself.

We’re not.

Have family there but a family of 5 with older children. No way am I booking an expensive holiday only to find one of the young adults has liked or followed something not to trumps liking and aren’t allowed in.The last time we went we spent thousands so it’s not worth the risk.

Aside from that ICE seem to be able to do what they choose so I don’t want any of us arrested on a whim. It’s hellish expensive now thanks to tariffs.

It’s a beautiful country but there are so many other beautiful places. 🤷‍♀️

That is not what is happening and this is why misinformation is so easily spread.

you can currently opt out when applying for your esta. I work for an an American company and so myself and my collleagues travel regularly - all different races and orientations. Absolutely no problems apart the inevitable one person who tries to travel on an out of date esta

fyi - in the uk most jobs require a social media check.

absolutely, going end of January and currently planning another road trip there in the summer

And it’s ridiculously OTT.

Fo people really think someone’s going to be scrolling through their twitter at Airport security? It’s probably best a lot of people do just stay at home, they’re not safe to be out.

There are plenty of Pearl clutchers here who believe they’re more edgy and exciting than they really are!

im sure the least of trumps worries is a middle aged Boden wearing family from Herts

Can you share the horror stories of tourists detained by ICE? The only one I have heard of is the girl in Oregon who outstayed who tried to work on a tourist visa or something and was detained re entering illegally at the Canadian border. Not defending ICE in any way here - how she was treated was horrific and unnecessary but that is a very different scenario than someone on an international flight with a valid Esta

The ESTA changes haven’t been implemented yet but the proposal is:-

• ESTA applicants would be required to upload a live selfie photo in addition to the current passport biographical page image requirement. ESTA applicants would also be mandated to submit social media identifiers from the past five years; personal and business phone numbers used during the previous five years; personal and business email addresses going back ten years; IP addresses from photos and metadata; family member names, birthplaces, and contact information; and expanded biometrics including facial, fingerprint, DNA, and other data.

Burner phone? Is the OP some kind of gang member now? This whole thread has given me a good laugh.

? What was the purpose of that?

That is for the ESTA application which would be done before going to the airport and either approved or denied. I am saying, it is pointless travelling with a burner phone. And stupid.