Should Europeans be worried about ICE when they travel to the US?

Germany has updated its official travel guidance for citizens planning to visit the United States, warning of “violent clashes” between demonstrators and immigration enforcement officers and urging Germans in the US to check official updates and “be vigilant and stay away from crowds where violence might occur.”

The new German advice focusing on Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Minneapolis follows previous travel alerts from European governments, including Denmark, Finland, and the United Kingdom, as well as from administrations as far apart as Canada and China. The warnings first came in the light of heightened border security measures that have seen some Europeans detained, despite possessing valid travel documents. 

UPDATE: OFFICIAL ALERT. 🚨
​The German Foreign Office has just issued a formal travel warning for the US.
​The reason: Violent clashes with migration and security authorities (ICE) in Minneapolis and other cities. This is not a "narrative"—it is an official security alert for… https://t.co/XCuqD6PsHj pic.twitter.com/O1uppqVY8z

— Anna (@AnnaDeMilanese) January 26, 2026

Europeans in the US may be surprised to learn ICE agents are permitted to stop, detain, and arrest anyone they suspect is in the US illegally. Those interfering with arrests or assaulting ICE officers may also be detained. Judicial warrants are required to enter private spaces. But with ICE action escalating, the first nine months of Trump’s mandate saw 170 incidents of federal agents holding US citizens against their will. The recent shootings of onlookers have put ICE operations back under the spotlight.

Governments around the world change their travel advice in line with evolving situations in various destinations, taking into consideration all sorts of potential hazards from natural disasters and extreme weather, to terrorist threats, crime, and political unrest. Against this backdrop, Germany has sought to downplay its new advisory for travellers in the US, describing it as temporary.

A German Embassy spokesperson in Washington, D.C., said travel advisories are “constantly being evaluated and updated” and noted that the “’current’ section right now refers to the winter storm and possible effects on travel. In the same vein we have temporarily included a reference to demonstrations/clashes, recommending to stay informed through local media.”

In addition, a German Federal Foreign Office spokesperson told press at a conference staff “are closely monitoring the situation in all counties our citizens travel to, and in this case, we are paying particularly close attention.” He explained that officials “continuously review, evaluate, and, if necessary, update the travel and security advice issued by the Federal Foreign Office worldwide. If an update is required, we will inform you.”

The German update, however, reflects wider concern in Europe at events in Minnesota, where two US citizens have been shot dead by ICE agents during recent ICE raids purporting to tackle illegal immigration.

That concern has been seen at demonstrations in Italy ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where ICE agents have been brought in for additional security, prompting thousands of anti-ICE protesters to fill the streets of Milan, Italy’s second city. Opposition to ICE operating on Italian soil has reached such a pitch that both Italian and US officials have been forced to defend the policy, saying that US security agents would only be behind the scenes, with Homeland Security Investigations staff “in one room.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Europe, there have been anti-ICE protests too, including in France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.

With temperatures running high, it remains to be seen how US guests will be welcomed at the Winter Games and beyond in Europe as the year goes on. And with anti-ICE feeling and now official warnings on the rise, the US travel and tourism sector can brace for another rocky year.