Is it safe to visit The US?

[niknak1234]

Over the last few months I have seen a lot of is it safe to travel to The US threads, and a lot of replies of "I wouldn't chance it."

Why do people really think is going to happen at the most popular tourist destinations?

Strip searched at JFK airport because you posted you didn't like Trump on Mumsnet? Shot by ICE at The Magic Kingdom whilst queueing up to meet Chip n Dale? Deported to Caracas whilst watching Lion King on Broadway?

Another one of these threads 🙄 Yes, it’s safe. I’m going for my second visit this year in a couple of months.

… and could even be cheering him on.

I’ve read you just get killed straightaway.

It’s safe. I share Trump jokes and complaints with family and friend social media. I am not a US citizen, I go to the US frequently, no one bats an eye.

I don’t agree with the Trump administration on almost anything, but I do wonder if all this stuff is hyped up because I just don’t see any evidence of overreach when I am on the country or passing through immigration.

I don’t want to support any part of the Trump regimen or take my child where gun crime, racism and bigotry are rife so am not going to the US for the foreseeable. Travelled there many times over the years, prefer to go elsewhere now.

What is it that you find great about him? (Genuinely curious)

But the people are the same as they’ve always been. (As are British people). So what’s stopping you? It’s the leader/regime, isn’t it? Fairly reasonably. Many of us feel the same about Trump. In fact I dislike the Turkish leadership less I think.

I don’t think the issue is necessarily safety in the literal sense of something happening. For me the issue is what is happening over there right now, politically and everything else in-between. I mean we have all seen what’s come out from the Epstein files! Would I personally want to go to a country that is ran by PDfiles? Absolutely not, but each to their own.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/21/karen-newton-valid-visa-detained-ice?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

edition.cnn.com/2025/03/04/world/german-detained-ice-intl-latam

Not very aware then, are you?

apnews.com/article/border-tourists-german-canadian-detention-immigration-408cd27338e8065268fabc835f8b0c34

This must be a windup. You know the plane doesn’t just drop you at Disneyland??? You’re most likely to be shot during a traffic stop, I would imagine. They read your rental car’s plate wrong and suddenly a very militarized US cop is pointing a gun at you. But no, none of my non-white friends have the US on the “to visit” list this year, and my Hispanic friend who grew up in California (so liberal! So safe!) worries every time she passes through the Camp Pendleton border checkpoint that she’ll be shot by some ICE psycho. Also, Starmer has already made it clear that he might risk a little Europe-backed rebellion, but in general, he tries to placate Trump, so the govt won’t be fighting in your corner if you get detained. So no, I would never go to any country that no longer respects the writ of habeas corpus; the US is now one of those countries, openly.

I had hoped to visit last year or this year from Ireland with my husband and child to visit family in the States. However no way would we go since the immigration issues started under Trump. My child is autistic, so given the negative views also in the Trump administration about autism this also influenced my decision.
My child is 7 and minimally verbal. Their language is mainly repeating what’s said to them or what they’ve heard recently. So my main concern would be that immigration officials wouldn’t understand why my child is not answering questions and would separate us and possibly detain us (together or separately) if my child couldn’t confirm their name or who I was etc. Or Eg if they asked my child ‘are you scared?’ My child could very likely respond ‘scared’ automatically as they often repeat the last word said to them.
I’ve posted some media articles also above that have made me aware of the issues for tourists since last year in USA and there are many more similar stories publicly available. It’s been clear since early to mid 2025 that things had changed drastically and quickly for the worst at US borders for tourists. Then came the anti autism rhetoric.

You must surely understand that not everything has to happen to you or in front of you to make it real though.. There are many first hand accounts (I’ve posted some above) of very scary immigration situations happening since last year.

Yes, I do understand this.

I also understand that we don’t understand the full details of the horror stories.

It’s safe but I wouldn’t spend a penny of my hard earned money in there so boycott for me.

As others have said, as a white European, I wouldn't avoid going for safety reasons. But equally as a European I am absolutely boycotting it for political reasons. Threats, insults and tariffs to us, our European neighbours and the wider world have 100% changed my view of USA. I view it in the same eyes as Russia (possibly worse because I had higher expectations of friendship).

I love the States, also pro-Trump. Don’t read MSM for the most part. Excited to go back shortly.

Yes it's fine, DH is there now for work. No worries at all about it. I wouldn't go on holiday there, but only cos I prefer other places. I would have no concerns from a safety point of view.

Where in the OP's post referred only ESTA? Did the OP say somewhere that the question only applied to non ESTA travellers?
This is an international site, so it's not hard to resale that some tourists would require a visa to visit the US.
I really take exeception to your branding me a scaremonger, when you have failed to understand the international ramifications of the OP's post, yourself. FFS.

“Current Optional Identifiers (As of April 2026)
The primary optional section is the Social Media field.

• What it asks for: You can choose to list your usernames (handles) for various social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) used in the last five years.
• Purpose: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses this to corroborate your identity, occupation, or travel history.
• Impact of skipping: You can still submit your application without providing these. Omitting them does not lead to an automatic denial, though it may occasionally result in additional vetting or minor delays.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection (.gov) +4

Upcoming Changes (Estimated Mid-2026) The U.S. government has proposed making social media identifiers mandatory later in 2026. If implemented, you would be required to provide:

• All social media usernames used in the last 5 years.
• Detailed contact history, including all phone numbers from the last 5 years and email addresses from the last 10 years.
• Expanded family details, such as names and residencies of immediate family members

So that would be a no from me then

I've cancelled 3 trips there, not out of concern for safety, but because I have no interest in spending a penny of my money or a second of my time in a country that is determined to terrorise the entire world and cause untold damage and destruction. Fuck Trump.

Love how as soon as the OP was asked to specify what was great about Trump, they disappeared. I wish it was that easy to get rid of all the other idiots.

It’s actually very easy to understand if you just believe victims. I had hoped we were there in a post Me Too and now Epstein files world. But if you’re not ready to believe victims when they initially speak out against evil systems, you can follow the money- ie ICE’s budget is 14 times greater than a decade ago.

Quote from the Guardian article I posted above about the English tourist detained at Canadian border despite valid holiday visa and held for 6 weeks by ICE:

‘So why did ICE detain her, and keep her locked up for so long? A possible answer began to emerge over the weeks she was incarcerated. As Karen got to know the guards at the Northwest ICE Processing Center where she was held, she kept hearing the same thing from them: that ICE officers are paid a bonus every time they detain someone. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain – the guards told me that,” Karen says.
It’s no secret that the Trump administrationhas been pouring money into ICE. Its annual budget – $6bn a decade ago – is now $85bn; ICE is now the highest -funded law enforcement agency in the US.’

There are two distinct issues however in my view arising in these tourist cases- first the initial detention. Then secondly and more worryingly is that tourists are not being immediately deported but held for lengthy periods. This is also different from prior to 2025. If your tourist visa was invalid then (that’s not a prerequisite anymore of course!), you were put on next flight home. Fair enough. Detained indefinitely for ‘ issues ‘ with tourist visa however as is now happening - not fair enough.

I do genuinely hope it stays fine for you on any future trips. But with ICE at the airports now I would keep your wits about you.