United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, and Finland warn their citizens to exercise caution before traveling to the US

 

More than 170 million Europeans have received a clear warning from their governments this week: extra precautions are necessary when traveling to the United States. Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have updated their official travel advisories, alerting citizens to potential risks.

The combination of stricter regulations and recent reports of travelers being detained or denied entry—such as the British punk band UK Subs, who were refused entry just yesterday—could have a significant impact on U.S. tourism. The United Kingdom sends the most visitors to the U.S., with four million travelers annually, while Germany contributes another two million.

Unlike their European counterparts, U.S. customs and law enforcement agencies have broad discretion in enforcing regulations. One of the most extreme cases involved a French scientist who was denied entry upon arrival in Houston because his phone contained messages critical of Donald Trump’s scientific policies.

For Germany and the United Kingdom, the travel warning is primarily about the risks of making errors—intentional or accidental—when completing customs forms. Mistakes that previously resulted in simple entry denials can now lead to weeks of detention. Meanwhile, Denmark and Finland have specifically updated their travel advisories to warn transgender travelers of potential difficulties when visiting the U.S.

The British government’s update appears to stem from the case of Rebecca Mooney, who was detained for 10 days in the U.S. after attempting to travel to Canada. When Canadian authorities rejected her tourist visa, she was instructed to return to the U.S. to apply for a work visa. 

While such re-entries are typically routine, Mooney was inexplicably detained upon her return. As a result, the U.K.’s official travel guidance now warns citizens that they "may be arrested or detained if they violate the rules"—a mild statement, given that Mooney does not appear to have broken any U.S. regulations.

Germany made similar changes to its travel advisories last Tuesday. Since Donald Trump took office, at least three German citizens have been detained in the U.S., including a 29-year-old woman who spent nearly two months in jail after trying to enter from Mexico. Another individual, who held a valid work and residence permit, was detained for a week after arriving in Boston from Luxembourg.

Detentions in the U.S. often occur under harsh conditions, with detainees transferred between facilities—many of them privately owned—and restrained with ankle, wrist, and waist shackles. Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney, for example, was legally residing and working in San Diego under a special visa for citizens of the U.S.-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement. Despite following legal procedures, she was detained for two weeks in multiple private prisons after a customs officer deemed her travel patterns "unusual." She later described her ordeal in an interview with The Guardian.

These developments highlight growing concerns among European governments about the treatment of their citizens at U.S. borders, raising questions about the impact on transatlantic travel and diplomatic relations.