Some German tourists, fearing harassment or detention, are avoiding U.S.

31 comments

1. Not just German tourists. And not just their detention, also their disdain for women in healthcare. Imagine having an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage there. Denied at the hospital and/or straight to jail.

2. Irish tourists too. My wife and me  go to a US city every year the past 8 years for our wedding anniversary.   Not this year – and not next year. 

3. The whole world should avoid traveling to the US fearing harassment and detention.

4. It’s not the only the Germans, it’s all of the world that’s avoiding USA.

5. If germans feel that way, imagine me… I had a 1 hour call with the big boss from USA because he didn’t understood why I’m not willing to travel to the USA HQ, my first answer “fuck no” wasn’t clear enough.

6. The German government issued a travel warning, of course we don’t want to visit the US right now

7. I know it’s a bit further than the USA,

   But Europeans should visit Australia. We love tourists.

   The only reason our immigrations or customs get upset is if someone tries to bring fruit or uncooked food. ( our bio security is important)

   Apart from that, come over, enjoy our native wildlife, friendly people, stunning scenery, and world class beaches.

8. I’m a U.S. citizen born in Texas and retired in Spain. I visit my kids and grandkids every year during the holidays. This year I’m taking a burner phone and leaving my iPhone and iPad at home. I don’t need some smart ass border patrol guy reading my posts.

   Last Thanksgiving (under Biden) it was bad enough. I landed from Madrid at DFW to change to a domestic flight. We were asked to walk in groups of 2 – 4 about 20 yards with dogs sniffing at us. They were yelling orders to do this in English. Many from the flight did not understand and were called out of line to be yelled out more. This is not the United States I grew up in or want to point to with pride.

9. My manager plans a global team summit „somewhere in North America“. I won’t attend when it is in the US or I have to fly via the US.

10. Not German but I most definitely will not go to the US for a long time or at all. It’s up there with Russia unfortunately

11. some?

12. Wise. All Germans should follow their example I think. At least until and unless a sane administration comes into power again.

13. Some Germans… How about many Europeans?

    And other countries outside of Europe

14. I had planned to go visit my relatives in the Cape this year for the first time since Covid. Cancelled my flight tickets last month though because right now fir tourists it’s safer to travel to russia rhan the US.

15. Just two days ago an article in the German “Welt” newspaper described a young nursery school teacher who wanted to visit Hawaii and ended up in jail, strip search included. She’d accidentally left her passport on her seat inside the plane, noticed and asked authorities to help her get it. After they put her in jail for days, sharing a cell with actual criminals, it turned out the officers had found her passport and kept it instead of helping her proceed, just for the sake of  detaining and psychologically torturing her. She wasn’t allowed to contact the German consulate to prove her identity or get back home. Instead they used private photos of her (among it a selfie of her on the beach wearing a bikini) to construct suspicions about her wanting to illegally work as a sexworker in the US. 
    She’s apparently back in Germany now, seeking psychotherapy.

    International tourism to the US needs to fall flat on its face and not recover for the next decade. 

    Btw, here is the German article. I’m sure there are other cases like this involving people from other countries. 
    https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article256082646/Abgeschoben-aus-den-USA-Wenn-ich-darueber-nachdenke-macht-mich-das-emotional-kaputt.html

16. My close friends in Switzerland were planning to come to California US this month.

    Them, “do you think we’d be safe?”

    Me, “for now it seems they’re targeting based on racism. You’re white so you should be fine”

    Then border brown shirts target 2 different German tourists……..

    Me, “how about you don’t come visit us and be safe?”

    We were supposed to be spending time with them now. Instead we’ve canceled all reservations and are terrified.

    Duck this country and the brown shirts.

17. Please hold the US accountable. Boycott the hell out of it.

18. I have a french friend that works online, and she said she is going to LA soon, with her kaptop and all. I told her she’s crazy for going rn

19. We were planning to go on a trip to New York, but we’ve cancelled that because of the new administration in the US.

    It feels like no amount of paperwork is going to keep you safe.

    If there is no due process for American citizens, how can tourists feel safe? I’ve seen some interviews of people being detained in camps for weeks because of minor technicalities.

    A few years ago I was travelling with a coworker, we were going to the same meetings for a week on our company’s HQ, we are both EU citizens, but he is not white. I waited for him for 45 minutes after I went through immigration, security officers came to me and told me I needed to move, I explained I was waiting for someone but that just made it worse. 

    Scary place on any good day, but even more.

20. Think this applies to most of europeans.

21. For no money in the world I would even fly in the current American airspace

22. I’m not going to support the economy of a authoritarian state if I can chose.

23. Every fucking sane tourists avoids fascist regimes…

24. Everyone should think twice before going to the US. You can get arrested for anything. Send to some hellish prison outside of the us, if they think its funny. All because the rule of law is more a suggestion to those in power.

25. British guy here, I wouldn’t risk travelling to the US until he’s out of office and gone.

26. *everyone in the world,

    There I fixed it for you.

27. Aint no way i am travelling there

28. I’m trans. No way I even try to visit. Have already throw it off my bucket list. If something goes wrong because of my changed gender marker I risk detention in a men’s prison. Regardless of being post surgery. I’d rather kill myself at night one and yes I believe that’s the point of the Trump government.

29. The UK government website has a warning to avoid the US & North Korea both listed as hostile.

30. I would not. No way.

31. I was already questioned 3 years ago when I went to visit a well regarded aerospace conference, as apparently, aerospace engineers and scientists are highly suspicious. I don’t even want to imagine what they would accuse me of if I were to try it now. Many of my colleagues in Europe have expressed similar sentiments. It’s a shame, but I fear these technical conferences, once the best chance for experts to get together and learn from eachother, and for businesses to make B2B connections, will see serious brain drain in the coming years.

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