America to Tourists: Pay $250, Show Your Papers, or Stay the Hell Out

ICE raids, border detentions, and visa shakedowns: the U.S. just became the world’s most expensive and dangerous vacation destination.

Between a $250 entry fee, ICE raids, and travel advisories from allies, the United States is quickly becoming the global capital of "Do Not Visit."

Welcome to Trump's America, Where Hospitality Costs Extra And You’re Not Welcome

On July 4th, while Americans were grilling hot dogs and waving flags, Donald Trump was quietly signing a bombshell into law: a $250 "visa integrity fee" for almost every tourist hoping to visit the United States. That includes your grandma from Germany, the Brazilian family planning a once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip, and your Canadian neighbors who used to cross the border for a Target run. Congratulations, America—you've just put up a giant neon sign that says: "TOURISTS NOT WELCOME."

This isn't about security. This is economic sabotage wrapped in jingoism.

$250 Per Person to Visit a Theme Park

Let’s do the math. A family of five from Canada, Mexico, or India? That’s $1,250 just to set foot on American soil, on top of visa application fees, airfare, hotels, and meals. If they're planning a trip to Disney World, they might want to stop at a bank first. And no, the fee isn’t refunded if they behave—it’s only theoretically refundable, with no refund mechanism in place. That means it’s a cash grab, plain and simple.

U.S. Tourism Experts: "Are You Trying to Kill the Industry?"

Geoff Freeman from the U.S. Travel Association didn’t mince words. He called it a "self-imposed tariff" on one of America's biggest exports: travel spending. At a time when countries are competing for tourists with open arms and incentives, America is charging entry fees like it’s Club 33.

Julia Simpson of the World Travel & Tourism Council warned that the U.S. is becoming an outlier: "The rest of the world is putting up 'open' signs... the U.S. has firmly got a 'closed' sign."

The travel industry is already down billions. And this new fee could cut another $12.5 billion from inbound tourism. Every canceled trip is money that won’t reach hotels, restaurants, Uber drivers, and retail stores.

The Canadian Boycott is Real, and It’s Working

Canadians, America’s friendly upstairs neighbors, are bailing. Prime Minister Trudeau publicly encouraged Canadians to vacation in Canada instead. Air travel to the U.S. dropped over 70% this spring. Land border crossings plummeted 33%. Entire tourism corridors in New York, Michigan, and Florida are ghost towns.

And why wouldn’t they bail? ICE is detaining Canadian citizens in legal limbo. Paula Callejas, a Montreal businesswoman, has been locked up in U.S. immigration detention for over three months—despite having a legal work visa. She’s being held in a for-profit prison in Arizona. Her crime? Trying to renew her visa.

America Is Now the Country Your Government Warns You About

Germany, Finland, Denmark, the UK, and Canada have all updated their travel advisories for the United States. They're warning about civil unrest, LGBTQ+ discrimination, arbitrary ICE detentions, and yes—gun violence. Incredibly, travelers from friendly nations are being told to contact embassies before flying in, in case they get detained.

In Finland, trans travelers are told they may be denied entry if their passport doesn’t match their gender assigned at birth. Really.

Welcome to Disneyland/World Cup. Now Show Us Your Papers

For every story that makes headlines, dozens don’t. Tourists have been pulled from customs lines and tossed in ICE detention centers. A German tourist was held 16 days for no reason. A Canadian actress was jailed two weeks after re-entering the U.S. from Mexico. These aren’t criminals. These are travelers with legal documents.

And now, thanks to Trump’s enforcement quotas (3,000 arrests per day), ICE has been unleashed as a political police force, targeting anyone who looks foreign, brown, or inconvenient.

If you thought this was just about the border, think again. ICE has already announced plans to actively patrol 2026 World Cup venues across the U.S., demanding documentation from anyone they suspect of overstaying a visa or not having proper papers. That means international soccer fans—many who have spent thousands to attend—could be stopped, questioned, or even detained.

Sound familiar? It should. This kind of authoritarian dragnet echoes the dark legacy of 1930s and 40s Germany, where "PAPERS, PLEASE" was not just a phrase—it was a threat. When your immigration enforcement starts targeting people in stadiums based on appearance or accent, you’re not enforcing the law. You’re reenacting history’s worst moments.

What This Means for You

If you’re an American working in tourism—hotels, airlines, theme parks, airports, restaurants—this is a direct assault on your livelihood. Foreign tourism supports millions of American jobs. And it's being torched for the optics of appearing "tough" on immigration.

If you're an international traveler: think twice. Unless you enjoy spending $250 to be treated like a criminal.

If you care about the reputation of the United States: know that the world is watching—and staying away.

America the Unwelcoming: A Choice, Not a Mistake

This isn’t just bad policy. It’s a warning. When a nation treats tourists like enemies and legal visitors like criminals, it has stopped being a free society and started being something darker. This $250 fee isn’t just an economic disaster—it’s a symbol. Of fear. Of control. Of decay.

And of a country that no longer wants to be visited—just obeyed.