Trump's transgender rights rollbacks prompt allies to adjust travel warnings
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A British Airways plane lands at San Francisco International Airport March 17. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
At least eight European countries have adjusted travel guidelines for citizens seeking to enter the U.S. as the Trump administration has implemented several rollbacks on transgender rights.
The big picture: Finland, Denmark and several other U.S. allies urged cautionary planning for trans and nonbinary travelers seeking to enter the U.S. following an executive order requiring the federal government to recognize only two sexes: male and female.
- The advisory changes come as citizens from several European countries and beyond have been detained by U.S. immigration authorities over issues with travel visas.
Driving the news: The updated advisories all come from allies — most of which are NATO member nations — that are now alerting their transgender and non-binary citizens that they may face more barriers to traveling to the U.S. in 2025 than in years past.
- The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' page states, per a translation, that for citizens "with a non-binary gender, the US authorities advise that they must complete forms and provide declarations upon arrival with the gender with which they were identified at birth."
- Ireland's advice page for travelers visiting the U.S. now cautions transgender Irish citizens that U.S. visa and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applications should reflect the applicant's "biological sex at birth."
- And the Finnish page, citing Trump's executive order, now reads, "If the gender listed on the applicant's passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa."
Zoom out: Beyond that, Germany, Denmark, France, Norway and the Netherlands have all issued similar guidance.
Context: Trump's Jan. 20 executive order directed the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to implement requirements that U.S. government-issued IDs like, passports and visas, "accurately reflect the holder's sex," which the administration says is "not changeable."
- Hunter Schafer, one of the stars of "Euphoria" and a trans actress, revealed last month that her new passport had been issued with a male gender marker.
- Her case represents just one in hundreds of thousands of trans and nonbinary Americans who could be impacted by the order.
Zoom out: The Trump administration has made rolling back rights for transgender Americans a key priority of its early days in office, targeting military service, gender-affirming care, sports participation, federal recognition and other aspects of everyday life.
- References to trans Americans — and other minority groups — have been wiped across federal websites.
- However, many of the administration's measures have hit legal barriers in court.
Catch up quick: The United Kingdom and Germany also adjusted their guidelines this month to emphasize the importance of compliance with U.S. customs and immigration laws.
- The U.K. government's "foreign travel advice" page for the U.S. warns travelers to "comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry."
- It continues, "The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules."
- The German page stresses that visas and entry waivers do not guarantee entry to the U.S. and that the final entry decision is made by U.S. border officials.
- The United Nations advised its New York-based employees and their family members to carry U.N. identification cards and a copy of their passport page that contains their visa, the New York Times reported. They were warned that they risk being stopped by immigration officials.
Zoom in: Rebecca Burke, a British artist from Wales, was reportedly detained in late February after trying to cross into Canada.
- She was held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center for 19 days, the BBC reported, before being reunited with her family in mid-March.
- At least three Germans have also been detained.
Flashback: The U.S. has been the subject of international travel warnings in recent history, though those followed mass shootings and were tied to the threat of gun violence.
Go deeper: Trump travel ban may hit MLB players from Cuba, Venezuela
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a United Nations advisory and Ireland's advice to travelers.
