Work trip to USA

[Wonderbug81]

I'm in a senior role and there's talk of a work trip to US this year. For context I've been to the US multiple times and even lived in NYC for a year a long time ago.

However I'm British Asian and I don't want to go - it's a very different place to the one I lived in.

At the moment it's not a firmed up plan but we'll be going to number of places (not just the more left wing cities) and I want to be ready to discuss it when the time comes.

I think you’d be perfectly reasonable to make your concerns known

I guess it depends on the purpose of the trip - is it the only option? If it’s to visit US offices that’s essential I would have thought.

I have no interest in visiting the US right now but I would if I had to without worrying about safety as such. The racism issue is another matter. Can your team say anything to reassure you that they have addressed the potential issues?

Thank you. Never experienced this in my career before and still astounds me that I'm actually thinking twice about going to the US of all places!

I’d go.
What you’re considering is exactly what Trump wants. Fuck ‘em. Walk in, head held high and don’t let these racist monsters curtail your activities.

@Wonderbug81 I think you are over thinking this. I assume you are just a standard British person? Are you going with colleagues? I would say your colleagues in the USA will be lovely, so what’s the issue? Do you think they won’t let you in? Be rude or racist to you? What evidence do you have to suggest there are difficulties with you going? Or do you just not like Trump? That’s political and not work related. How would refusing to go look at work?

I think you are right to be concerned.
The US is barely safe for white people, let alone anybody else.

@Sweetiedarling7 Have you been recently? What happened? Or are you just thinking it’s not safe. Define “safe”. We went recently and were perfectly safe. What do you think will happen to op? And why?

Thank you. It's not so much the fear for me as what could actually happen. We're going to be in Southern states as well.

Thank you. I just don't know what my team can really say. ICE are trigger happy and the situation changes so fast over there.

I guess my boss could go without me but I wanted to gauge how significant that would be first.

Immigration at US airports always give me a hard time (I have a Muslim sounding surname). Hard to ignore the treatment of their own civillians, white or otherwise and I'll be a brown foreigner travelling to southern states.

Considering the president has just posted a video of the Obamas as monkeys enough said.
That’s if state sanctioned murder in the streets isn’t enough for you of course.

I'm also on a work trip to the US - this month.

If I wasn't white caucasian I probably wouldnt have agreed to go.

YANBU

US immigration officials can be quite abrupt, but in what way are they always giving you a hard time, even though you are there for legitimate business purposes?

I can understand why you would rather not go, but don’t shoot yourself in the foot careerwise because of your fears. Simply answer questions politely but as briefly as possible, without adding unnecessary details.

And obviously make sure your visa/esta and business paperwork are in order.

I've long ago learned to deal with US immigration.

I'm more concerned about the violence and unrest as well as the govt treat people from backgrounds like mine (or even just a white protestor...). The environment there is also so unpredicatable right now.

Honestly, if it's later in the year, I'd postpone worrying about it. Trump could have invoked the Insurrection Act by then to prevent the mid terms and you might find the trip is postponed.

What is your firm EU or US based?
Big international multinational or national organisation with US branches/links?

What travel policy are in place?

What happens if you were arrested?
Will your firm front bail bond and immigration lawyer or are you on your own?

If there are concerns or the visit location is a "hot spot" what mitigattion can the local organisation put into place?

You do realise they’re kidnapping and detaining people off the streets? And it’s not blond European types they’re harassing.

I'm also a brown-skinned British person and would be very reluctant to travel to the US in the current climate. @AnSolas raises some excellent questions to put to your employer if they're really keen for you to go. I would want to know that they had risk-assessed and had plans in place should there be any risk to your safety.

I suppose that the one good thing about flying into the US at the moment is that most of the CBP arseholes have volunteered for field duty so it's the nicer officers left staffing the airports.

There's always the option of Irish preclearance though.

Fair point! Timings not decided yet.

many years ago I very boldly told my US senior management that I would not travel to mainland China due to their human rights record.

I held my breath

our conference was relocated (ironically to the USA but those were different times…)

Avoid histrionics, make a reasonable case, see what happens.

Thank you.

To be honest this list of questions is putting me off even more. It's one thing going somewhere you'd be uncomfortable/fearful for family/life or death but I just don't see why I should do it for a commercial reason.

I'm a British Asian with PR living in Virginia. As long as you're not lying on your visa, committing crime or putting yourself in the middle of police / law enforcement operations you'll be just fine.

Why?

If your company is working overseas your travel security is something which it should take into account.

I have worked medium size companies which has one recommendion that staff always have ther luggage brought up by a staff to make sure the room was empty and only take taxis which were arranged by the hotel or company

An international one which had kidnapp insurance and a ransom rescue team and had strict travel rules about having the local staff arrange visitor movement in some parts of the world.

Another which had to try manage political unrest which left local workers trapped on site for days and their famalies trapped at home.

Most will not book senior managers on the same planes anymore.

And just getting the tube and buses in London is not a safe activity any more.

The US is not going to have any more danger than is had before for a documented non-national traveling on business. And if the local staff feel there could be a problem they will be able to notify you and the UK office.

Your main risk from State actors is that you dont know how to manage interactions with an armed police force. Or that you would panic if you think you may be detained/arrested. "Mainly peaceful protest" is not happening and other political activism is usually avoidable.

That's a great outcome.

Not the same but I was supposed to go on a work trip to China in Dec 2019. I said I didn't feel comfortable and slowly the other people on the trip also decided (despite initial enthusiasm for going) to pull out too. We didn't know exactly what was round the corner in 2020 but very glad I held my ground.