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Comment by Brendinooo | Hacker News Reader

>This newsletter doesn’t delve into politics, and the reason for this change is both pretty obvious and not in need of further discussion here.

Can someone state the obvious for me please?

The two thoughts in my head were "this is because tourism is down" and "this is because migrants/asylum seekers aren't crossing the border at the moment".

I would think you'd draw different conclusions if it's one or the other, but, regarding the latter, I don't know how many of them cross the border at the border and how many typically do it with a plane ticket.

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A few reasons come to mind, as a EU citizen:

* The US has repeatedly threatened military invasion of a country (Denmark) near mine.

* The US has basically given Russia the green light to invade the rest of EU when ready.

* Mentioned elsewhere in this thread: The many reports of travellers being detained for weeks.

* The US has recently started an economic war on the entire world, except Russia.

Why would I want to visit?

Thanks for sharing your perspective, but my question is about the proportion of people like you who are thinking about visiting compared to people who are thinking about migrating.

A general sense that the US is actively trying to hurt us in the rest of the world. Enabling Putin, stopping USAID programs, imposing tariffs etc. the list is long by now. Just makes you not feel like supporting it by buying US or going there and spending money. Secondly lots of stories about tourists being detained by ICE make it feel even almost scary to go.

We have a general sense that the US is actively trying to hurt us here in the US too.

We didn't vote him in. You did.

I voted for not him and persuaded a number of people to do the same (not that it mattered in my state anyway, other than reducing his popular vote margin). I'm not yet sure what more I could have done.

not all of us, just some :)

I get that narrative. I guess my point is that, if border crossings at the US-Mexico border are down 90%+ compared to last year, and if some migrants/asylum seekers fly in instead of crossing a border on foot/in a car, then how much of this decrease is would-be migrants deciding it's not a good time, and how much of this is would-be tourists being scared of detention? Is that even possible to know?

I guess immigrants where always worried about being detained, but german tourists previously where not.

I was.. with my friend visiting family. Not knowing where they live - because the person picking them up is waiting at the airport (8h detained, 10y ago).

Another one being accused of selling drugs in LA (never been there, detained for 2 days, banned and put on a flight back home, 5y ago)

People are staying away from an oligarchy where habeas corpus has been suspended for a wide range of situations, and that results in extradition without an option of release to El Salvador. That's the obvious bit the rest of us know and can see and TFA draws a line to that you can't see yet.

Tourism is not down in other countries. Migrants/asylum seekers don't typically fly in by plane to the top 8 airports in the US, and those that do, do not do so in numbers anywhere near large enough to account for the change in numbers.

Do asylum seekers and migrants typically immigrate in JFK, Miami, LAX, or Orlando?

I thought the problem the US had was people crossing the land border from Mexico?

A lot of people do immigrate by flying in and not leaving when their visa expires. It doesn't make for very spectacular news footage though. Not sure what the numbers are, but I used to work in restaurants with lots of people who were "undocumented" and they all came to the US via flight. The people crossing the border on foot are absolutely destitute and easy targets of animosity

Same percentage of people landing in LAX and Miami as Orlando?

And such a large number that it dwarfs temporary visitors?

Mostly coming via private jet, I think?

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