Proposed US immigration changes

[reluctantbrit]

In case you still plan to visit the US, if this will be reality there is no way I am going near any US border.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump

It also said photo metadata of photos you have uploaded. I have a rotating IP address on my phone, I guess a lot of people have this. It all sounds a bit complicated for a holiday

This is what is already required for a Russian visa, btw - I was unfortunate enough absolutely needing to go there on family related business before Covid. It was a fucking nightmare, they wanted stuff like addresses of my parents new partners, their family details, all kinds of random stuff. And I had to have an interview with some snobby Russian woman at their visa place. I would imagine this is what US is heading towards - plus your online activity,

It’s not anonymous - you would be asked for your IP address.

I have SM, but if I signed out of everything how would anyone know what accounts I have. Even I can’t remember what accounts I have let alone email addresses or even what name I used at the time.
I never give my name or date of birth when opening the account and have only posted 2 very innocuous pictures in total

Trying to work out how they can scroll through 5 years of SM or even use find trigger words and keep up with the amount of people applying for an Esta or has visitor numbers dropped so much that they are trying to find work for those who used to process the Estas

They would probably use AI to check against your user names, identifiers and IP addresses.

What are the laws about data gathered in airports in this way? I would be worried they are planning on mining traveller's data and selling on to third partys?

It would all depend what resources they are bringing to bear. No one posting on here would be "anonymous" to any deep trawl of what is available.

You need to remember this initiative has nothing whatsoever to do with keeping control of the US borders and everything to do with keeping control of the US population. It all makes "sense" then.

I got an ESTA last year and declaring your social media was optional* *on the form (I declined). I knew it wouldn't be long until they made it compulsory.

"What was then may not be what will be" as DF used to murmur

I’ll be buggered I’ve been nothing but critical about the Orange Sex Offender in any post where I’ve mentioned him and there were quite a few during the last US election.

We use to cross over the border into Vermont to go for lunch. Haven’t done so since Trump started his ranting about Canada becoming the 51st state. Tourism in the US states around the border crossings is suffering

Yup. Sort if ironic really. The man totally opposed to "open borders", want's no border between the US and Canada.

So all this fentanyl supposedly coming from the North would stop if the border was removed and the countries combined ?

no way will I consider travelling to the us until they are well rid of that orange POS

I don't see what is new here. I had to apply for an ESTA a few months ago, and they were asking for social media handles then.

It's mandatory now, it just optional. It's just handles. I'd understand if they demanded public accounts and viewed them but the esta is an automated approval. I believe denials at the border make up a very small %.

Proposed changes to ESTAs were published by CBP on 10th December - are you suggesting that’s not correct?

Have the exact details been confirmed yet ?

I mean it's entirely possible - like 99% of everything in the name of security that this is mere posturing to keep the masses impressed. Balance of probabilities would suggest that.

However, if they do start asking for email addresses, and phone numbers, then I'd suggest they are serious about something.

Changes set out in link.

SUMMARY:The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.
DATES:Comments are encouraged and must be submitted (no later than February 9, 2026) to be assured of consideration.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/10/2025-22461/agency-information-collection-activities-revision-arrival-and-departure-record-form-i-94-and

That website itself is designed to capture - and "register" - the IP addresses of anyone who requests a copy of that data.

Oh great!

At least they are upfront. They could just as easily have capture the IP address silently and stored it. Now you know it's going on a register. Somewhere. A register that can deliver a treasure trove of data when aligned with other data sets in the hands of people who know what they are doing.

There is more fentanyl going from the US into Canada than vice versa. The southern border is more of an issue but wasn’t Trump building a wall there that Mexico would pay for?

There is more fentanyl going from the US into Canada than vice versa.

The same could be said of bullshit.

On the plus side this will encourage people not to make unnecessary long-distance trips adding to the problem of global warming. How many business people are going to want to travel to the US on business trips now, if it's at all possible to do the business online instead? And I can't imagine many families being prepared to do all this just to take their children to Disneyworld.

Indeed. I can see Trump being awarded "Best Environmentalist of All Time".

I mean even Obama never got that.