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New Hampshire resident Fabian Schmidt was returning home from visiting his family in Europe when he was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) by United States Customs and Border Protection after showing his recently renewed green card. Originally from Germany, he had been living in the US for 18 years, but the 34-year-old was detained for nearly two months after being told he was a flight risk.
Finally released last week, he detailed the “dehumanizing” experience, which included being strip-searched and locked in a secluded cell, to GBH News this week. “I love this country and the people in it so much—but I’ll tell you, the system is broken,” he told the public media outlet.
Schmidt is just one of several American visa holders and permanent legal residents who have been stopped at the border returning from international travel, including a Brown University kidney transplant doctor, who has a work visa, but was deported to Lebanon.
Foreign nationals have also recently run into roadblocks trying to visit the country legally, including a researcher who French officials say was denied entry after his phone was searched and immigration officers found messages that were critical of the Trump administration.
Following these incidents, Canada and several European countries have issued travel advisories for the US. While most of the government warnings don’t specify why they were added, the timing points to the the Trump administration's executive orders regarding immigration and the tightening of border policies.
“The whole purpose is to stop illegal immigration,” Larry Yu, professor of hospitality management at The George Washington University's School of Business tells Condé Nast Traveler. “But then the executive orders are also tied to other issues like transgender identification, so it actually adds quite a bit of confusion, uncertainty, and concern for the US travel industry.”
Many of the European countries that have issued US travel warnings have flagged the White House’s executive order that states “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” potentially causing issues for transgender travelers with self-identified or “X” gender markers on their passports.
The recent uptick in travel warnings is already having a major impact on US tourism, according to Yu, as several of the advisories were issued by countries that are top drivers of inbound travel to the US, including Canada, the UK, and Germany.
“The image the US has always projected is that we’re welcoming and diverse," Yu says, adding that recent events are making people think about how they see the US.
The US is projected to lose $12.5 billion in traveling spending this year, according to a new report from the The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) released this week, citing a 22.5% decrease from peak spending, falling to $169 billion from $181 billion last year.
“This is a wake-up call for the U.S. government. The world’s biggest Travel & Tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction, not because of a lack of demand, but because of a failure to act,” WTTC’s president and CEO Julia Simpson said in a statement. “While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”
In fact new international arrivals data for the month of March already show a sharp decline. Visitation from the UK is down 15% compared to last year, whereas Germany has dipped 22% and South Korea 15%.
But the most significant impact is being seen from Canada, as more Canadians are boycotting travel to America since March when then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told citizens to prioritize domestic travel ahead of peak summer travel season. The US Travel Association has warned that US states visited by Canadians—Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas—could see declines in retail and hospitality revenue as a result.
The latest data from Statistics Canada for April shows that the number of Canadians returning from US trips decreased by plane (-19.9%) and car (-35.2%) arrivals, compared to the same month last year, marking the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year dips.
Airlines have even started cutting flight capacity to the US, with Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet cutting routes and using smaller aircrafts. US-based airlines have also been hesitant to release this year’s projections, with flight cuts being a major factor.
International travel advisories for the US are not entirely new; however, most posted in recent years have been in regard to gun violence. Uruguay and Japan both issued alerts to its citizens in wake of the Dayton, Ohio, shooting in 2019. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently lists gun crime as a “major public safety concern in the US,” including safety advice and statistics on the most common locations and timings of shootings. Japan also warns about the high number of hate crimes in the US based on race, sexual orientation, and religion.
Australia-based small-group adventure travel company Intrepid Travel has seen a “clear decline in demand for travel to the US,” according to its CEO James Thornton, who says they’ve seen a 40% drop in year-to-year numbers.
Though the figure “highlights the need to foster a more welcoming environment that supports the tourism industry and the vital role it plays in connecting people around the world,” he says the US "continues to be a sought-after destination.”
While the specific reasons international travelers are choosing not to come to the US may be more nuanced, one thing is clear: there are recent upticks in warnings, and there is a significant decrease in foreign visitors. Below, we've rounded up the countries that have issued or updated advisories to their citizens regarding US travel so far.
Which countries have issued travel warnings against the US?
France
France joined other European nations issuing a warning the evening of March 24 by revising its foreign ministry’s travel advice. Citizens heading to the US are now “strongly recommended” to consult the embassy site and their airlines to “check any changes or new measures adopted.”
Canada
With 20.4 million visits from Canada in 2024, the US' northern neighbor is its top driver of international visitors, generating $20.5 billion in spending. Starting on April 11, 2025, Canadians staying in the US for longer than 30 days are required to register with the US government.
The Canadian government has added information to its US travel guidance on the new entry and exit rules, cautioning that failure to register via a I-94 form or the new Form G-325R on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) site “could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution.”
“This is interesting because there has been this immigration rule for citizens of other countries, but in the Canadian case was never really rigorously or strictly enforced,” Yu says. “Now the Canadian government is saying, make sure you follow the rules.”
Yu notes there is still “some uncertainty and concerns” regarding the new process as the digital immigration portal rolls out (at the time of publication, a technical support banner is the first thing on the myUSCIS site.)
Denmark
While no Danish citizens have been detained, the Scandinavian country warned transgender travelers on March 20 to exercise caution while traveling to the US. “Even though there’s no precedent, the current administration has changed registrations specifying there are two genders, and that’s a clear concern for the transgender community,” Yu says.
Germany
Germany first updated its US travel advisory on March 19 to note that visa and entry waivers don’t guarantee entry, after several of its citizens were detained. Germany's foreign office also added updates regarding gender identification, stating “travelers to the USA must state either ‘male’ or ‘female’ on ESTA or visa applications” and that those with an “X” gender marker or whose gender is different than that assigned at birth should consult with the US diplomatic mission in Germany before crossing the border.
Finland
The Nordic nation updated its US travel advisory on March 14, warning its citizens that if their passports have a different gender marker than that assigned at birth that “US authorities may refuse entry.”
United Kingdom
The UK has recently updated its US travel advisory for British travelers bound for America with stricter wording: While in February, it stated, “the authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules,” the language was changed in March to say those rules are enforced “strictly,” which remains on the site at the time of going to press.
“They’re basically telling people to double check the requirements because it’s very difficult to pinpoint any specifics right now,” Yu says, citing the examples of European travelers, including a UK national, being detained at the border in recent weeks. “It’s a very general advisory: Do your homework and if you aren’t sure, check with the US embassy."
Netherlands
While the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs still has the US listed as green in its level for safe travel, its travel advice page was last modified on April 4 including: "Please note that laws and customs in the US towards LGBTQ+ persons may differ from those in the Netherlands."
Belgium
While the Belgian foreign ministry’s site states it's safe to travel to the US, it also warns: “If you encounter difficulties with immigration services or if you are removed, you can contact the American authorities through the Travel Redress Inquiry Program (TRIP) website.”
The site also informs its nationals that travelers to the US “must indicate their gender as ‘male’ or ‘female’ when applying for an ESTA or visa,” adding that “ The United States refers to this as the person's sex assigned at birth.”
Portugal
Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently updated its travel guidance for citizens visiting the US, noting that “possession of an ESTA or visa does not automatically entitle you to entry into the United States. The final decision is always made by the border agent upon arrival in the United States.” It also advises non-binary travelers to "complete forms and provide declarations upon arrival with the gender with which they were identified at birth.”
Ireland
Ireland updated its travel guidance for the US on March 28, 2025 to include advice for transgender Irish citizens, stating: “ESTA and visa application forms to the US require travelers to declare their sex. The US authorities have indicated that this should reflect, what they term, the traveler’s biological sex at birth. The latest update as of April 18, also says, “Travellers whose sex on their passport differs from sex assigned at birth should contact the Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin for further details on specific entry requirements.”
Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs also notes that the US states of Arizona, Utah, Indiana, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama have introduced legislation to combat illegal immigration that authorizes “police officers to seek information on an individual’s immigration status and to detain people they suspect of being in the US illegally." They suggest that travelers carry their documents with them at all times in case they are asked to present them by law enforcement officials.
**This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available. **
