Green card holders returning to the U.S. from Europe

I don’t have any experience with it and it is going to be a personal decision. There seem to be more and more stories.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/canadians-pause-and-think-twice-about-travel-to-us-immigration-lawyer/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-musicians-pulled-over-asked-canada-or-us-1.7488950

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/canadian-actor-jasmine-mooney-detained-mexico-border

https://www.ctvnews.ca/video/2025/03/19/canadian-detained-at-us-border-serves-as-warning-to-be-prepared/

Personally, I think you'll be fine. Unless you have supported terrorist organizations, have done something criminal or questionable, or are on the no-fly list, you shouldn't have a problem. Especially since you have a Green Card. Thousands of non-citizens cross the US border every day without incident.

Sadly, the media sensationlizes everything and leaves out information that might make it seem sensible.

I would not leave the US hoping to return unless I had a US passport. There is no due process and several people with green cards have been deported or denied re-entry. 'you are probably ok' would not be good enough for me in this lawless climate. What can you do if you are denied return?

You may have heard that the UK govt issued an advisory to its citizens cautioning them about the current zealous application of the law for anyone who is not a US citizen. Germany did similar. Of course many from the US will say that as long as you abide by the rules you will be fine. Until they search your phone or computer looking for anything critical of the current regime. At least a couple of US universities have cautioned their foreign students not to attempt to leave and then re enter the US for at least the near future, for fear of being denied re entry. It all depends on your risk tolerance, and your plan B if re entry goes sideways.

So many things have happened in the last few weeks that none of us could have imagined. You will need to do a careful risk assessment and then make the choice you feel is best for you.

If someone had asked this question a few months ago, I would have thought it was a bit mad. But now, I feel there is genuine cause for concern. I don't know if I'd risk it- this government has done so many unpredictable things in the past two months- and it's even harder to say what the future holds.

About Five years ago on of my employees and his wife had an horrible time at immigration. Yes, she had a green card and she was married to a citizen, but after three hours of harassment they decided they would not leave the country again until she was a citizen

I’ll just say that it was under the same administration that is currently in power. If I had a green card, I would be concerned.

In the cases mentioned in the forum over the past few days, the Brown professor attended the funeral of a Hezbollah leader, and the French researcher was found in possession of confidential Los Alamos information without permission.

If you recently attended the funeral of a terrorist, stole confidential government information, or did something along those lines, don’t chance it. Otherwise, enjoy your cruise.

I would also caution you to stay put if you have had any brushes with the law while here in the US such as a DUI from 10 years ago or a misdemeanor drug charge for possession of a small amount of marijuana. There was a recent New Hampshire green card holder who was detained by ICE in Boston for these reasons.

Hmm, French gov says the scientist had his opinion of the US prez in his phone. Two days later US gov spokesperson says he had Los Alamos info. Which is correct?
Brown U doctor’s telephone content reported by a gov spokesperson, but has the doctor been interviewed to hear what she says?I don’t see a statement from her anywhere. And quickly putting her on a plane defied a judge’s order. Is this a he said-she said pattern going on? Who is to be believed?

I would clean up my phone of any political posts and cartoons. The articles I've read reported that phones were checked.
What an unfortunate mess! Good luck!

Posted by Pat

I would clean up my phone of any political posts and cartoons. The
articles I've read reported that phones were checked. What an
unfortunate mess! Good luck!

And from what I have read on-line, it takes more than just deleting whatever. It could still be "stored" somewhere, like the Cloud for quite awhile after you delete it.

Don't know if that is true, but . . . .

Hi Mike,

Maybe you should both get burner phones for the trip.

Sam

In this case, not green card holder, but another instance of someone (actually multiple people) being denied entry to the US based on expressed political beliefs: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/21/uk-subs-band-detained-deported

And personally, I would take any explanations that come directly from US government spokespeople with a massive grain of salt.

This article seems to be less extreme.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/can-us-border-agents-search-your-phone-what-canadian-travellers-need-to-know/

The Guardian is not the most credible news source. It's to the left what Fox News is to the right.

After you read the article, you can scroll down to where the newspaper goes off on Trump and asks for money.

That's unbiased journalism?

The CTV article KB posted above is very good and should be read to get a sensible answer to many of the questions.

Respectfully, the Guardian is at most centre-left, as can be seen from their coverage of UK politics. (However, I don't wish to get into a discussion about UK media as that's off topic and I want to respect our moderators.). If you prefer coverage of what happened to the members of UK Subs that were denied entry to the US from a right-leaning newspaper, the Telegraph has also covered it: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/03/21/punk-band-uk-subs-say-were-deported-anti-trump-views/

I am providing this information so non US citizens can make informed decisions about entering the US.

Although I’ve lived my entire life in the U.S., I hold two passports by birth - U.S. and German. Next month when I visit France (just like last month when I visited family in Ireland), I will travel with both in my handbag. As an American citizen who is outspoken about the trajectory of their country, knowing that my private phone can be searched makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t regret any opinions I’ve expressed. I’m simply appalled that the current government is rapidly becoming authoritarian and denying entry to academics, while inviting known sexual traffickers and perpetrators of sexual assault to enter.

This is how things get blown out of proportion.

Approximately 60,000 people enter the US every day as for tourism, business trips, education and as temporary foreign workers. 60,000 every day.

You've heard about a handful who had problems. Could you imagine how the backlog would be if they decided to go through everyone's phone or records?

1/100 of a percent of people entering get their phones searched. And it's not because you said you don't support Donald Trump. (Everyone who claims that has speculated but had no proof. Some have even claimed they were being paranoid.) Something has triggered the immigration agent to go further. It could be an improper visa, it could be something you wrote on social media against the US, it could be an arrest, It could intelligence passed on to them from another government or agency. They are not required to tell you this. But they are required to tell you why you are not being admitted.

CPB has always had the right to search you, your belongings and even your phone way before Trump was President.

That's the problem with information today. No one really cares about the truth. People will believe what they want to believe and nothing will convince them otherwise.

But at this point, I'm just going to say.....believe what you want.

I will certainly believe what I want based upon the information I read from the many sources I consult. I personally KNOW a person who has had their passport retained when it was submitted for modification to align their gender identity, since January 2025. I have family members (Irish nationals with green cards) who are divesting and returning to Ireland after careers in the Federal government in the U.S..

I’m paying close attention to what is happening in the U.S.. Perhaps not everyone is.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/us/politics/trump-immigration-visa-crackdown.html?unlocked_article_code=1.504.sHhC.wUaUsP-f28ck&smid=url-share

What Frank II said https://youtu.be/nHUIMp0ki10?si=zpKarPSwGk40GnDk

Frankly, I'd take my tourist dollars, no matter for how few dollar or how short of a time, elsewhere. We do the same and do not visit countries with regimes we find unpalatable. Do they know/care? Of course not, but if enough people feel this way and actually act on it, maybe they would. I never thought I'd say this, but all bets are off here. I would imagine that many feel this way--in one form or another, nobody is immune to what's happening, Amcit or not.

I am really getting tired of the political content and political undertones in more and more posts. Perhaps it is time to move on to a travel forum that discusses travel and NOT politics and political opinions.

Know that any encounter with uniformed and badged personnel at the border now creates a feeling that things could go bad. Same as the feeling you may get crossing the border in some of the non European countries. These are our countrymen doing their jobs. Yes, just doing their jobs. Yet….

After you read the article, you can scroll down to where the newspaper goes off on Trump and asks for money. That's unbiased journalism?

I actually prefer the Guardian's way of asking for money (which I give) rather than being denied access to a newspaper unless i pay for a subscription. I do think they are relatively unbiased and certainly no more so than any other newspaper in the US today.

I don't think it's a secret that the Guardian is a left leaning newspaper. It's been that way for over 100 years, going back to when it was The Manchester Guardian. The search for a lack of bias in newspaper reporting is more of an American fascination than it is in the UK. None of the major American news outlets are particularly unbiased either, even though some may claim to be. Learning to filter for bias is media comprehension 101.

The Guardian's content is 100% free if you want it to be. I see a pop-up telling me I've read something in the range of 2000 articles (since I last cleared my cookies), I'm one of their top readers globally, would I consider subscribing? I just click it away. I don't get blocked for using AdBlock extensions either, like I do on some other newspapers.

[edit: some others covered it above. Please excuse me repeating that]

The Guardian is a left wing newspaper. I read it and the Times. The same issue will be covered from a different angle in each paper. As long as you’re aware of this you can draw your own conclusions.

A handful of people with legal papers and no criminal background or agenda being harassed, detained , maltreated or deported is a handful too many.

The reality is that no one knows what challenges may unfold for non US citizens entering the US in the coming days, weeks or months because ‘policy’ and ‘enforcement’ approaches are evolving at a rapid pace. So it is wise to do a personal risk assessment if one is worried.

And with respect to news sources, I have been reading the Guardian for 50+ years when it was introduced to me in high school. I also grew up with the Economist. Everyone has interpretations of what is ‘left’ or ‘right’. The more important question about a media source is whether the journalists are beholden to billionaire owners regarding what can be written. The Guardian isn’t. Fox News is another matter and the quality differences between the two is striking.

The more important question about a media source is whether the journalists are beholden to billionaire owners regarding what can be written.

So true. Ask an Australian. And same for social media outlets which are owned by billionaires with agendas. Very scary.

I read about a very smart piece of advice earlier today. Instead of keeping all of your itinerary information on your phone, print out boarding passes (or get them from the carrier’s airport counter) and your personal itinerary- how long you are in each place, where you are staying, etc. That way there is no need for an agent to request to see what is on your phone.

Mustlovedogs, they don't need a reason or an excuse. All they have to do is ask if you have a device. If you refuse to give it to them and open it, that's grounds for denial of entry. Of course, since you are an American, they can't deny you entry. Not the same for anyone else.

CJean, thanks for the clarification. I saw the advice on a thread on BlueSky but it didn’t specify anything regarding the information you shared. I went back just now and read more of the replies and some of the responses share exactly what you said. I should’ve waited and done more research before posting. Some people are suggesting to wipe all pics, social media, etc. This is so upsetting to even think about.

As a green card holder, think carefully about your record of activity and behavior in the US and look at it with an eye towards “is there anything at all that could be basis of being denied entry if I get a border agent who is inclined to deny entry.” Do not rely on exercises of discretion at the border. And do not rely on the fact that you have been granted reentry previously with the same “record.” Take a look at the case of Lewelyn Dixon: 64-year-old, 50-year green card holder, who has been held in detention since February 28 upon trying to return to the US. Why? I don’t know. Could it be, as disclosed by her attorney, her 2001 conviction for embezzlement which resulted in a $6,500 file and a month in a half-way house? Maybe. She has traveled out of the country since that conviction and been allowed to return but there is a new boss and unlike the old song said, he is not the same as the old boss.

I am really getting tired of the political content and political undertones in more and more posts. Perhaps it is time to move on to a travel forum that discusses travel and NOT politics and political opinions.

Give it a month and see if the webmaster can return this forum back to a travel forum. If not, then I would say yes, time to move on and most likely there will be many making the same decision, that is if they have not already left.

Ah, come on….if a discussion about entry and exit to the u.s. is not your thing, you can scroll past.
It is still travel related, for probably some members here on the forum who have green cards but still post here for travel information.
Members here have no information about other members’ citizenship status, so we don’t know what may be useful to others .

I suspect the Chicken Little Syndrome.

Members here have no information about other members’ citizenship status, so we don’t know what may be useful to others

It's all over the news. It's really hard not to hear the stories multi times. But then, I suppose that there might be a person who only gets their news from this forum and not from any other source including their own government travel advisories. So, yes, we must post everything here to advise the world, just in case. Proceed.

Quote. "I am really getting tired of the political content and political undertones in more and more posts. Perhaps it is time to move on to a travel forum that discusses travel and NOT politics and political opinions. " unquote

Rick Steves has made clear in his writings including recent writing, that he sees travel as a political act. To ignore politics of travel in this moment is precious and of course shouts 'I am privileged and don't have to worry about reality for other people.'

Most people with green cards are probably fine; but the consequences of not being fine are not a missed flight, or losing your luggage. They can be ending up in what amounts to prison or being transported without your stuff to a country you haven't lived in for decades and where you have no support system or resources. When the consequences are very dire for guessing wrong, being ultra careful is prudent. We will have better data a year from now, but this is probably not the moment to take risks.

I suspect the Chicken Little Syndrome.

Easy to say when you cannot be subjected to refused entry and detention when you choose to return to the US. It doesn't affect you, so why should it concern anyone else?

janettravels44 if you read the forum guidelines you might share my share my belief that they contradict your interpretation of the purpose of the forum. Put into practice, its only the Webmaster that gets to judge.

So, yes, we must post everything here to advise the world, just in case.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, posters who live in other counties would like to get the reactions and opinions from other posters who live outside the US. I realize that some people don't realize that this subset of the forum members exist, but they do. And believe it or not, their concerns on this subject are not the same as yours.