sorry to US anime con goers who are excited for cool guests but I genuinely think you should root against your oshis and favorite anime/manga creators chancing the American border and possibly having a run in with ICE
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i'm not sure how any event organizer can in good conscious invite guests to the US right now and the only people who seem to get it so far are academics
I’ve mentioned this in regards to fighting game events. Eventually we’re going to have a high-profile player get detained because a boomer ICE agent decides an esports visa or competing for a pot is “working abroad illegally” and it’s going to be hell
Man, I remember people talking about how EVO was going to be a challenge for all the FGC folks from Japan because of the weak Yen and someone pointing out how it was likely a lot worse for the South American FGC community and 🙃
I think it's unlikely as long as you enter at an airport, since they can just send you back. Happens all the time to guests.
You can also fly through Canada since you clear immigration before boarding, makes it safer
It’s interesting how ingrained the USA must by default be in everyone outside its borders; in my home country ‘ICE’ is almost invariably German trains (within railway enthusiasts community that I am a member of) and where I am now it’s Inner City Enterprise and Irish College of English
However, I agree with you: No matter where you are in the world, your first association for anything must always be US-related, your own cultural background be damned
i know that signaling to everyone on the planet to never, ever under any circumstances visit the US is the intended goal of this administration…but i can’t exactly suggest anyone do otherwise, so
It's something I'd thought about and even going to a con in a few months, I really hope international guests do not attend any cons this year. Also expecting any merch to be insanely expensive, which sucks for the vendors and fans who want to buy anything.
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You can also fly through Canada since you clear immigration before boarding, makes it safer
at first I was like ‘please avoid getting rammed by ICE [InterCity Express]’
fuck
Heck, if it happened to a high profile japanese anime director, seiyuu, or game developer, even Japanese otakus would riot
"I know you spent money but maybe read the room."