“Welcome" to America?
New US Border Crackdowns Chill Tourism for Global Travelers
A snapshot of Michael Scott Moore’s article for Bloomberg Businessweek and what we, as digital nomads can learn.
As President Trump begins his second term, a troubling trend is emerging at U.S. borders: increasingly harsh detentions of foreign travelers, including tourists, professionals, and digital nomads. From Germany to Canada to France, reports of lengthy detentions—even for seemingly minor visa issues—are sending shockwaves through global travel communities.
In early 2025, a German woman was held for over a month after crossing from Mexico. A Canadian actress, Jasmine Mooney, spent nearly two weeks in U.S. detention following bureaucratic mishaps with her visa. A French scientist en route to a conference was detained for a day and sent back. While border scrutiny isn't new, diplomats note the unusually aggressive and prolonged detentions appear to be deliberate. “It’s a warning,” one European official says.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) claims enhanced vetting is possible now due to fewer illegal crossings. CBP insists “lawful travelers have nothing to fear,” yet high-profile detentions suggest otherwise. The impact is already showing: Canadian bookings to the U.S. are down 70% through September; European travel is down 25%, citing “bad buzz” from these stories.
This crackdown threatens America’s post-COVID tourism recovery. Adam Sacks of Tourism Economics now expects normalization only by 2029—an entire decade lost. With major events like the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics on the horizon, the stakes are high. “The U.S. risks becoming a pariah in global tourism,” Sacks warns, estimating a $9 billion drop in visitor spending for 2025 alone.
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The deeper concern for digital nomads and global entrepreneurs: many of those targeted have a prior flag in the CBP system, even for minor infractions. Mooney’s experience began with a missing letterhead on a visa document—later corrected. But that early error stayed on record, snowballing into a life-disrupting ordeal involving handcuffs, a cold detention cell, and multiple transfers across the system.
These high-profile detentions reflect a deeper shift: U.S. immigration enforcement now targets not just illegal entrants but also high-skilled, law-abiding visitors. For digital nomads, artists, scientists, and remote workers, the message is clear—your welcome may depend more on politics than paperwork.
As one immigration lawyer in San Diego puts it: “The only real winner is Trump. He’s delivering on a message. But at what cost to America’s reputation?”