Family wedding in US - attend or skip?

[WolfMother326]

I am American, have lived in the UK for over a decade and have a British husband and 2 small children. The kids are eligible for US citizenship but I have not chosen to do this yet.
My sister who I love dearly is getting married this summer in the US. I am having major reservations about taking my kids and husband there right now having read disturbing stories in the news about people being detained or separated while travelling. Also, it's just generally an unpleasant atmosphere and we've never felt particularly safe when going back as a couple - my home state is liberal, but there are plenty of guns around. We also had a weird interaction with border patrol on our honeymoon crossing into the US from Canada, where they questioned us about why I didn't want to live in America and 'wasn't it good enough for me anymore?'
I'm thinking about just going solo for a week for the wedding, as I'm a citizen. But my family in America would be very disappointed about my kids and husband staying behind. My sister has said she would understand but obviously is disappointed by the suggestion.
I don't know if I'm being unreasonable, as well are a white family and perhaps less likely to be of interest. I don't want to let anyone down, but feel anxiety about taking my kids there just in case.

Those normal people on the ground might be Trump voters, and if we don't make a stand they'll continue to do so. Maybe if their livelihoods are threatened they might support a different party.

I would have to make a stand. I will not visit USA until Trump and the Republicans are gone.

Maybe she had done something wrong in the past. Maybe she knew that, maybe she didn’t realise - the immigration and visa rules are complex and change often, so many people are caught out.

But on this trip she had everything she needed, she was allowed into the country, and she was only detained and then deported when she was already trying to leave. None of those facts are in dispute.

Your kids need US passports to enter the US. They are US citizens from birth.

It's also a pest travelling into the US from Canada - much easier to fly straight into the US.

I don't think a child born abroad to a US citizen needs a US passport unless a CRBA has been filed. There's a difference between entitlement to citizenship and claiming it.

It's worth checking though.

I did read this story, as I am planning to visit family in US later this year, but when I looked into it a bit further it seems there were issues with either her or her companion having previously outstayed the visa limit, and, from memory, I think that same companion didn't have a valid visa to enter the States at the point they were arrested. But what happened to her is worrying, nonetheless.

My US relatives do have concerns about some things that are happening over there but, having discussed it, I am happy to go as a solo traveller. I went over last year with no issues at all.

But we have decided to delay a whole family holiday. DS is 23, looks older, but is ND and is young for his age, still acts and speaks like a late teen and has no internal filter. What goes through his head often comes out his mouth. So his behaviour can sometimes be at odds with his appearance. Plus he usually has brightly coloured hair, and tics that get worse when he is anxious. So he sticks out a mile and could inadvertently draw attention to himself by saying something harmless but stupid, and then get anxious about it and make the situation ten times worse.

It is our intention to all visit as a family again, but not just yet.

So I will probably go over on my own to visit my family later this year.

Go yourself. Sister can be disappointed but you are being sensible in the current climate

If the children are eligible for American citizenship (which if the OP was born and raised in the states they will be), they need an American passport to fly to the states. The level of comfort of lying on visa paperwork is up to the OP but she’s right to think about it properly in the current climate.

She will have to declare that her children are not American but if anyone starts actually asking the right questions, they’ll realise quickly that they are. I don’t ‘think’ this is the sort of thing that would lead to disaster in Guatemala exactly, but they ‘could’ refuse entry and she ‘could’ be in trouble for lying to border control. I’m anxious in general so this wouldn’t be something I could do.

while I have no interest whatsoever in taking my family there, I think for the vast majority of us it’s still very safe
it’s your sister. Definitely go yourself but I don’t think you’re unreasonable to take your family either.

eta- with the current climate I don’t think it’s unreasonable to NOT take the family either. But 100% go yourself

Updated to say, I have started the process of applying for the kids' US passports, but am still just thinking of going solo. The news the ICE are now being deployed to airports etc and new horrors everyday don't really feel encouraging.