A View from Another Country

This morning I was sitting on a bus when two very articulate students got on and sat somewhere behind me. They were on their way to their university campus. Being only three of us on the top deck of the bus, it was easy to hear their conversation. And it was rather sad.

"Would you go to the USA at the moment?" one asked. His friend replied, "I don't think it will be safe to go there in my lifetime. That ICE is arresting grannies when they arrive, so what would they do to a boy with brown skin?"

Without debating the veracity of his claim about who is being arrested on arrival, it was a very small window into the opinion of young people I wouldn't normally get to speak to. I can remember a time when young people couldn't wait to go and try out the States for at least a holiday if not some work experience. How times have changed.

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

I'm not a member of that particular minority and I'm in a completely different age range but I will not go to the US again either. I've been there many, many times on business, the last time was in 2018.

I enjoyed being there and I count some of my ex-colleagues as good friends but I very much doubt that i will ever meet them again.

Even before Trump entry into the US was different from entry into other countries. I remember many years ago presenting my passport to the immigration officer at Newark and him suddenly asking in a very tense and somewhat hostile voice why I had a Saudi stamp and visa in my passport. He accepted my explanation although he seemed quite bothered by it.

Going into other countries the presenting of my passport was just a formality. In fact the first time I went to China in 1986 the first words spoken to me were not "Passport please" but "I'd like to practise my English with you.".

The only recent hiccup was exiting France to England a few years after Brexit. The French exit control officer asked to see my Norwegian residence card, something that had never happened before (in fact could not happen before because EU citizens don't need one). He apologized for asking for it and explained that no one was quite sure what the rules were. I presume that the French border control system now has it recorded that I am resident because I've passed the same border post several times since without being asked for it.

FreddieUK · 70-79, M

@ninalanyon Sadly, borders around the world seem to be hardening against perceived (and sometimes real) threats.

SunshineGirl · 36-40, F

Even pre-Trump I've had a couple of experiences in American airports that were fairly unsettling for an unaccompanied foreign woman. It is certainly not a trip I would chose to take right now.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

I agree. This is the overwhelming view of people outside of the US. There are simply more attractive places to go in terms of personal freedom and security than America at this time. Its not the regular American people so much. You cant trust the authorities to act within the law.😷

FreddieUK · 70-79, M

@whowasthatmaskedman That's an important point. We used to smile at the amount of use US citizens used of the Law, but now that the 'might is right' mantra is apparently in control, no one can be safe from harm at the hands of the authorities.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

@FreddieUK Exactly. And once it is in their hands, they wont let it go without a fight. Any more than the rich will let go of their money without a fight. Its just a question of which side the Americans with the guns will come down on and how long it will take..😷

kittee · 26-30

im a white chritian and i woldnt go as i dont want to be in that toxic mix

FreddieUK · 70-79, M

@kittee I understand that. I wouldn't advise anyone to go to the US at the moment and since Trump and Netanyahu have started another war I can't see anything to do with their countries is safe from attack, including our own.

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