Trump’s America: Irish travellers now wary of US border chaos

Irish travel to the US has dropped sharply amid growing fears over visa rules, phone checks, and border detentions

Travelers line up to go throught US customs and border protection in Newark Liberty International Airport, New York. Tourist numbers from places such as Europe and Canada have dropped under Trump's administration. Picture: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty

A Welsh illustrator detained at the Canadian border, while attempting to leave the US, and held for 19 days in a detention centre in Washington state after misunderstanding the terms of her visa.

A German engineer with a green card, remanded in American detention upon re-entry after visiting Europe for a week.

An Australian, working full time in the US where he lived with his partner and child, deported from the country after taking a two-day trip to his birthplace to spread his sister’s ashes.

Those are just a small selection of the, mostly visa-related, immigration horror stories that have come from the United States over the past three months. More will undoubtedly follow as the Trump administration’s immigration clampdown continues apace.

It is little wonder that travel to the US has begun to decline, given the aggressive targeting of alleged illegal immigration precipitated in the fledgling months of Trump’s second term.

Even students heading on the traditional Irish J1 visa summer in the States have been warned by the Union of Students in Ireland that taking part in anything which could be construed as “activism” while living there is now fraught with peril. Suddenly travelling to America has become much more complicated.

Many nations — Germany, the UK, and Canada being amongst the most prominent — have responded to the recent spate of stories from the American border with updated travel advice for their citizens, flagging for example the White House’s recent executive order asserting that it recognises “two sexes, male and female”, a statement that could pose issues for transgender or non-binary travellers.

Notwithstanding the drop-off in Irish passenger numbers, the Department of Foreign Affairs has not as yet issued updated advice for travellers to the US, although a spokesperson noted that all such advice is “reviewed regularly and updated”. Asked specifically about travel to the US, they said: 

As in all cases of international travel, it’s important that Irish citizens are aware of the local context, and that local laws apply to you as a visitor and it is your responsibility to follow them.

“It’s important to be aware that some activities that would not be problematic at home may be seen as improper, hostile, or even illegal in another country,” they added.

The US government’s international trade administration runs a monthly tally of overseas visitors to the US. In March 2025, just over a month into the second coming of Donald Trump, tourists visiting America from the top-20 countries by that metric fell by 10%.

The drop in US-bound travellers from European countries was particularly stark. The influx of German tourists fell by 28% year-on-year. Spain’s figures fell by 25%. Even the UK fell by 14.3%.

Ireland was no exception. In March, 38,852 people left these shores for the US, a drop of 27% from the same month in 2024. That’s roughly 15,000 people choosing to stay home from a relatively small country population-wise rather than visit the US.

It is also likely not a coincidence — in February the same metric showed visitors into America from Ireland down by 3.2%.

Last December, the figure was up 5.1% year-on-year. Irish people have clearly decided to stay home, at least for the time being.

Students heading on the traditional Irish J1 visa summer in the States have been warned by the Union of Students in Ireland that taking part in anything which could be construed as 'activism' while living there is now fraught with peril. File picture: iStock

“It’s a definite trend,” said Irish Travel Agents Association president Angela Walsh, adding that the drop off in travellers has been easily noticed.

“It’s a confidence issue. Because the whole thing is relatively new and at present information is piecemeal I think that people, in the absence of facts, are creating their own narrative.

“That narrative [of US inhospitability] is reflecting the lack of confidence, and it’s become self-perpetuating. And now people are thinking ‘I’m not going to go unless I have to’. The trend is attributable to a lack of facts.”

She doesn’t think that a lack of faith in the American visa system is necessarily driving the average Irish traveller’s new hesitancy.

“I think people are just more nervous in general, more cautious,” she says, adding that people in her line of work are now “being asked questions they wouldn’t have been asked before”.

Most of the travel scare-stories emanating from America since January have involved either working visas or green cards (which bequeath the right to live and work in America permanently), with a common denominator often tending to be a blip, typo, or an empty field in a visa application, or a historic minor misdemeanour — what hitherto might have been seen as a minor obstacle now blown up into a full-scale issue.

Despite the negative press, in some ways little has changed in recent times — the US customs and immigration authorities have always been vested with robust powers, and inviting their suspicion would never have been a particularly wise choice — not 30 years ago, not today.

However, that the Trump administration is leaning into those powers is undeniable.

Can they affect those who are merely tourists and visitors? In short, yes they can, but that doesn’t mean that they are likely to. Or at least, not yet.

All foreign nationals entering the United States are required to do so on a visa or permission of some description, to be applied for in advance. The tourist variant is known as Esta (electronic system for travel authorisation), which typically remains valid for a period of two years from issue.

“The people who use ESTA, they go through the same process as anyone else,” says Jim O’Malley, a New York-based, Limerick-born immigration lawyer.

“What’s been happening is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) is enforcing ideological parameters and if they feel or deem that a person is somewhat ideologically not in line, or repulsive, then they have the authority now to stop them from travelling.

“They always have had unfettered authority really, on the issue of entry to the United States. That historically was handled with civility and realism. Unfortunately, those norms seem to be evaporating quickly.”

Irish Travel Agents Association president Angela Walsh said: 'If someone was feeling a doubt about their visa, I’d encourage them not to go.' Picture: Justin Farrelly

So would, say, a random historic tweet, speaking mockingly or critically about Trump, be enough to see entry barred?

“Yes, and we’re seeing that on the ground now. The issue of non-US citizens entering America is broadly seen as foreign policy here, and that is mostly under the control of the administration.

“And this issue appears to be really important to this administration, although it doesn’t appear to achieve much in terms of furthering American interests or the wellbeing of its citizens,” Mr O’Malley said.

He underlines however that “we’re talking about extreme situations here”.

“I don’t know how many hundreds of thousands of people go through every day. The vast majority will be admitted in and have a nice day. 99.9% will not have a problem, but the 0.1% who do, it becomes an anomaly, and it gets massive attention.

What’s more concerning is people who are returning from a temporary departure who have put down roots in the US. The same thing can happen to them. These are pople who to all intents and purposes are American-based, who have homes and mortgages. That’s a bit shocking.

One common fear among travellers to the US amid the ideological trappings of its new government is the thought of their phone being confiscated at customs. Yes, it is a thing, and yes, the American customs and border patrol (CBP) very much have the power to do so, and to ask you to unlock it for them.

“If you’re coming as a visitor on Esta, or as a visa holder, you have limited privacy rights as far as your electronic devices go,” said Irishwoman practicing immigration law in Chicago. Fiona McEntee.
So a traveller can refuse access to their phone, but can also expect to be refused entry if they do.

What are they looking for? In prior times, the thinking would have been to identify content indicating that the terms of a travel visa were being breached if someone was obviously working in the US. Things are a little different now.

“WhatsApp and photographs are big things,” says McEntee. “Irish people love their memes, their jokes, but you have to factor in that CBP could see it, and there’s this idea of dissent against the administration.

“They have all the discretion and all the power. This administration is flexing their muscles in terms of people who disagree with them, and it’s being ramped up,” she said.

“Just be mindful what’s on your phone. People have had issues with WhatsApp in the past.”

Ideology aside, it’s valid to wonder what consideration is being given to US tourism amid the current climate, with merchant banking group Goldman Sachs claiming this week that America could be set to lose $90bn — albeit in a worst case scenario — in lost tourism dollars in 2025 alone, as travellers choose to stay away.

“It’s a head-scratcher,” said McEntee. 

"There are a lot of things from tourism that are beneficial to the US, but that doesn’t seem to come into it. Also international students, who contribute billions and subsidise American tuition via their fees.

“But this administration just wants to do what it wants to do. It is adamant about certain narratives being put forward and consequences don’t seem to matter.

People are having adverse feelings about coming here now, and that just makes me sad. America is supposed to be multicultural.

“On the other hand, there will always be people who will come, for business, for a holiday. They just need to take precautions and to be aware of the things that could cause them trouble.”

Travellers to the US don’t want any bother, but the US administration doesn’t seem to care, said Mr O’Malley.

“I can understand why people wouldn’t want the discomfort and uncertainty, regardless of right or wrong.

“If someone wants to see the Grand Canyon, they don’t want to be troubled with the remote possibility that they would be rejected.

“Has the administration factored that in? I don’t think they care too much about tourism from Europe, to be honest.”

So will that put people off going?

“I think people who have been holding off will book eventually,” said Ms Walsh

“It’s such a personal choice for everyone.

“But the biggest thing driving the current nervousness is the instability.

I can understand the reluctance — people are thinking ‘why should we go there when we can just go to Spain or Portugal?’.

"And if someone was feeling a doubt about their visa, I’d encourage them not to go.”

She then chooses her words carefully.

“What I would say is, this doubt, the lack of stability, the negative narrative — it’s not creating a very attractive overall picture.

“You put all those together and you’d want to have a very good reason to go.”

In terms of tourism inbound to Ireland however, Walsh thinks the current situation “could stand in our favour”.

“It’s very stable here. The experiential trip to Europe is big on the American list. I don’t see that decreasing.”