U.S. Now A Risky Destination By Its Own Standards
Not long ago, Americans travelling outside the United States received advisories about visiting riskier parts of the world. Now it’s the other way around. Travel outside the United States can be fun, enriching, educational. Entering our country however is an entirely different story.
Where is it dangerous to be an American?
The U.S. Department of State keeps a roster of countries and a corresponding map for those of us who have an easier time processing information visually with advice for each country regarding how safe it will be to go there. Each country is designated a level numbered from one to four. Level 1 indicates a mostly safe place for U.S. travelers. Among these countries are Canada, Australia, Iceland, Ireland and Austria. Level 2 means that travelers should be extra careful due to possible terrorist plots, an organized crime presence or riots over sporting events. Countries falling into this category include France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain and Morocco. Level 3 means that the Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens and nationals ought to reconsider traveling to these countries due to an increased risk of kidnapping, robbery, homicide or terrorism. Among these areas are Jamaica, the states in Mexico directly across the southern United States border, Nigeria, Egypt and Pakistan. Level 4 means stay away, because not only are the risks discussed in previous levels increased to the point of near inevitability in these countries, but security, military and law enforcement officials are also inclined to take a hostile view of U.S. citizens and nationals. A Level 4 designation also applies if the country is caught up in an ongoing war. These countries include Russia, Iran, Libya, Haiti and Afghanistan.
However, with the United States merely just about two months into a second Donald Trump regime, other countries are warning their citizens and nationals about traveling to the United States.
When the United States becomes that which it purportedly hates
On 15 March 2024, the United Kingdom recommended on the record that Britons visiting the United States comply with authorities, as they “set and enforce entry rules strictly” and that travelers who break the rules “may be liable to arrest or detention,” a detail unmentioned hitherto, but coming in the wake of Welsh backpacker Becky Burke being detained by ICE in Tacoma, Washington for 19 days and the recent deportation of members of the British punk band U.K. Subs.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also advises that “US authorities have broad powers to decide if you’re eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law. Check US entry, transit and exit requirements.”
Three days after Great Britain updated its U.S. travel advice, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office put notice to travelers that valid permits and visas will not guarantee entry into the United States as such is granted at the discretion of the border agent on duty and that there is no legal recourse against being turned away. A further warning reads: “Travelers should only enter the United States with a valid ESTA or visa that corresponds to the intended purpose of their stay. Criminal records in the United States , false information about the purpose of their stay, or even a slight overstay of their visa upon entry or exit can lead to arrest, detention, and deportation.”
Finland is issuing a similar warning, and has also added that “The United States issued a presidential order (25 STATE 11402) on February 24, 2025, requiring that a visitor applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States must now indicate either ‘male’ or ‘female’ as their gender. The order requires applicants to indicate their gender at birth.If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa.”
RELATED: The Ten Best Countries for Trans People Looking To Defect
Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also similarly warned its citizens of the aforementioned presidential order and that recommended travelers with a passport marked with an X to indicate a non-binary gender identity or with a marker not matching their assigned gender at birth should contact the U.S. embassy for further guidance.
Even Canada?
Even Canada, our friendly (for now) neighbor to to the north, has advised travelers that “Canadians and other foreign nationals visiting the United States for periods longer than 30 days must be registered with the United States Government. Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution. You should consult the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website to determine if you need to register with USCIS and how to do so.” Nonetheless, in early March 2025, Canadian actress and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney was detained by ICE when she tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border for business reasons and held in squalid conditions for 12 days despite having a valid work visa that had been approved months prior.
Most recently, France, the Netherlands and Belgium have issued warnings to trans and nonbinary travelers to the U.S. regarding President Trump’s executive order to only recognize two genders.
Ironically, the U.S. State Department classifies the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark as Level 2, meaning “Exercise increased caution.” While there may be factors in those countries to warrant such a recommendation, I cannot help but think of a quote from the crime series Justified: “You run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. You run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole.”
Moreover, in light of foreign travelers being detained at border crossings for the flimsiest of reasons if any at all, having their 14th Amendment rights violated and being subject to inhumane conditions, it appears that the United States is becoming no safer or friendlier than some countries its State Department has warned about. Being that the second Trump regime has only just begun, one can only wonder to what extent will these things escalate, despite the oft repeated utterance that “this sort of thing cannot happen here.”
Can’t it?
By James Conrad.
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