Just a few weeks ago I wrote, “I don’t think — though I might turn out wrong — that Trump will be able to break down civil liberties protections enough to make a US Worldcon dangerous to visitors.” Now I’m not so sure. The fannish world is talking about the ICE detention of Becky Burke, a British comics creator.
Here’s the situation, as I understand it. Burke was visiting the US and Canada on an extended hiking trip. She lodged with some families along the way, doing chores in return. When she tried to enter Canada from the United States, she was turned away on a visa issue I don’t know the details of. Going back to the USA, she was detained because of her chores-for-boarding arrangement, which I guess was taking jobs away from good Americans! ICE has held her in a cell under conditions like what a violent criminal would face. A GoFundMe campaign was run to finance her legal expenses, and she has been released, returning to Wales on March 18. She should never had had to experience all this.
Officially, an ICE detention center is not a prison. The difference seems to be that it gets less scrutiny than prisons do.
As far as I can tell, this had nothing to do with anything she had said, only with the government’s increased hostility toward everyone entering the country. Given other events, though, it’s likely that people who have criticized Trump or his close associates will face a greater risk. Anyone traveling to the US for a convention should be aware of the increased danger and decide if the risk is acceptable.
This is a single data point, so it may not indicate a trend. Given everything else that’s happening, though, I’m not optimistic. There’s also the Jessica Brösche case.
Oh, and I just came across this video about Germans being detained. I don’t know if Germans are being especially targeted; it’s more likely that my information sources make me likely to spot these stories.
People who have any income sources related to the event they’re attending, such as science fiction authors attending a con where their books are sold, may be especially at risk. Think about exactly how you want to express the purpose of your visit and answer any questions from customs agents. Keep in mind that getting caught lying can also land you in trouble.
The very fact that such care would be needed to visit the US would compel me to not, were I thinking of it. Immigration has been a (near) constitution-free zone for many years, and the lawlessness of Trump and his associates guarantees danger for anyone near a US border–which is most of us, since to our government, “near” means “within 100 miles”.
The way some conventions are trying to defend their attendees isn’t helping. The Seattle Worldcon seems to think that by putting up “safer space” signs, it will render the ICE incapable of touching people behind them. If they want to protect people, they should help them to blend in, not paint targets on them, but that goes against identity politics.