Would you travel to the USA?

[Ineedcoffeenow]

Setting aside disagreement with Trump’s politics, would you travel to the USA this week (specifically NYC and Washington DC)? My concern lies with the risk of terrorism.

Canada. 🇨🇦

This is only my opinion. I will share it with you. I am an US Citizen and live in Georgia. I would definitely make sure that my visa is in order if I was traveling into the US. I would not come to the US if I have committed a crime even if it was something minor that happened many many years ago. I would be more nervous about going through customs then I would be about terrorist in the US. The current administration is really cracking down on visitors to the US even tourist visas. My 17 year old son is traveling to Mexico in July and I am a little nervous about him coming back into the US. This is probably completely crazy that I am nervous but I am. He is a natural born citizen and white. Luckily two of the people in the group work for immigration lawyers. If these people were not in the group I don't think I would have let him go to Mexico.

I thought the PR was that this time round it wasn't electoral college but he got over 50% of the vote? Also, as with Brexit, all the people who would rather not vote than vote for (an admittedly rubbish but at least not crazy destructive toddler and his fanclub) Kamala Harris. I know IABU but they all knew who he was.

Plenty of people didn’t believe it. Trump claimed to have no links to Project 2025 but here they are, in his administration.

There are plenty of voters who are quite happy with everything but the economic effects of tariffs. It’s not the case that his voters regret their votes wholesale. There are plenty more who buy the idea that it’s short term pain for long term gain as US manufacturing fires back into greatness, not listening to the many reasons why this won’t happen.

He won the popular vote i.e. got more than Harris, but as there were other candidates this accounts for the totals for Harris and Trump not adding up to 100%. My point was, though, that it’s wrong to say more than 50% of Americans voted for them.

I agree they should have known what they were voting for, but clearly didn’t, given his drop in popularity since the election.

I absolutely love Canada and not trying to be goady at all…. But the treatment of indigenous peoples, First Nations peoples, has been appalling and flagged by the UN and Amnesty international. I’m not holding that against the Canadian people as individuals, but I’m pointing it out to reiterate the point. Nowhere is without its upsetting behaviour, it seems. I look at travel to anywhere in a similar vein to people who say separate the art from the artist. That said, I’d never hang a Picasso print, or play Michael Jackson’s music. I’m pretty sure I’m a hypocrite 😅

Yeah a lot of countries were pretty awful to the indigenous population and I won’t even bring up British colonialism.

But the Canadian government has formally apologised many times - doesn’t make it right at all but you can’t define a whole country on it.

Cause frankly the UK isn’t lily white.

^^ for sure, the UK bears responsibility for a huge amount of the shitty structural and systemic issues around the world.

That’s what I’m saying though, really, is that everywhere I go to, I do find issues with but still go if safe. When I travelled to Canada with my children I pointed out some really unpleasant truths to them about the way indigenous people were (and still are) treated. One town we went to was drenched in native symbols and imagery - yet we didn’t see one single native person for hundreds of miles. We did however, pass by bone dry, unhealthy looking land that was a reservation. It was beyond grim. I did the same with my children in the US, and about civil rights, segregation and all the current horrible policies including banning of books and abortion laws.

That's a good point. I am glad I found this thread, I wanted to see how it had progressed.

My son flew out to the USA on Tuesday and will be working there, travelling between various states, until the end of October. He has been doing that for a few years (except during lockdown), last year was about sixteen weeks. He has many American friends, some of whom I've met a few times when they've come over here to stay with him for a holiday. They fit into the "...many wonderful people who are horrified at what’s happening in their country.", that you mention.

Before he went off I asked him if he felt safe about going at the moment, didn't mention possible terrorism. All he said was as a white person, he felt safe enough. That says it all to me. I hope he and colleagues keep opinions to themselves while they are there, they often get into lively discussions.

Did you go or are you going, Ineedcoffeenow?

I doubt many people cancel their visit to the UK while Labour are in government.

Ridiculous comparison.

Is Labour throwing out people with legal papers to live and work here?!

@suburberphobeisnt it only illegal immigrants or those who have exceeded / broken their visa conditions who are being deported?