A wave of artists are reconsidering tours over U.S. border detention fears

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 1:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

A question of musicians, poets and novelists say they are reconsidering upcoming tours and question implicit fears of getting detained astatine the U.S. borderline oregon arrested wrong the country.

Canadian-born rock icon Neil Young, U.S. best-selling romance novelist Ali Hazelwood, Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha, and British punk stone band UK Subs are among those who person either precocious cancelled upcoming tours, interest what volition hap if they bash spell connected tour or accidental they person already been denied introduction to the United States.

Young, a dual Canadian-American citizen champion known for such hits arsenic Heart of Gold, Cinnamon Girl, and Harvest Moon, didn't accidental helium was cancelling his circuit but expressed concerns astir it. He wrote connected his website connected Tuesday that he's worried his nationalist criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump could pb to issues astatine the border.

This comes amid reports that others who person been captious of the president person been detained or turned away.

"When I spell to play euphony successful Europe, if I speech astir Donald J. Trump, I whitethorn beryllium 1 of those returning to America who is barred oregon enactment successful jailhouse to slumber connected a cement level with an aluminum blanket," Young wrote successful the post.

"If I travel backmost from Europe and americium barred, can't play my USA tour, each of the folks who bought tickets volition not beryllium capable to travel to a performance by me."

Young is scheduled to commencement his Love Earth satellite tour in Sweden successful June, with performances across Europe — including a acceptable astatine the Glastonbury Festival successful England — earlier playing shows successful Canada and the U.S. successful the fall. In different station connected March 31, Young wrote, "if you don't hold with our government, you are barred from entering oregon sent to jail."

Meanwhile, best-selling romance novelist  Ali Hazelwood has cancelled her April publication circuit successful the U.K. over akin fears. Hazelwood, who was calved successful Italy but lives successful the U.S., is the writer of respective BookTok sensations, including Deep End, The Love Hypothesis and Bride.

"It breaks my bosom to bash this, particularly truthful past minute," Hazelwood, who uses a pen name, wrote successful a post connected her societal media accounts connected Wednesday.

"This is due to the fact that of respective analyzable reasons that mostly boil down to the information that, things being what they are, it's not imaginable for maine to safely question extracurricular and past backmost wrong the U.S.," she added.

"All I tin accidental is: I anticipation things alteration quickly, I anticipation to beryllium capable to question overseas soon, and I americium profoundly thankful for your enactment and your understanding."

Other singers stopped

CBC News has reached retired to publicists for some Hazelwood and Young. Hazelwood's team declined to supply a statement. Young's squad has not yet responded.

But their concerns aren't without merit.

There person been multiple reports of radical being detained astatine the border, denied entry or locked up for weeks astatine detention facilities while attempting to permission oregon participate the U.S since Trump took bureau connected Jan. 20. Several high-profile incidents of tourists and visa holders being stopped astatine U.S. borderline crossings, oregon arrested within the U.S., person made headlines successful the past fewer weeks.

WATCH | Halifax people duo questioned astir their allegiance:

Last month, a Halifax-based people euphony duo said police who pulled them implicit connected an Ohio highway accused them of having drugs successful their rental car and questioned them astir their allegiance successful a unusual enactment that lasted astir an hour. Police accidental the postulation halt has been misrepresented.

Sisters Cassie and Maggie MacDonald of the radical Cassie and Maggie were driving a rental car connected Interstate 70 successful March and were talking connected the telephone with their parent erstwhile they noticed they were being followed by a constabulary cruiser. The sisters told CBC Nova Scotia that the officers who stopped them asked if they preferred Canada oregon the U.S.

"I surely didn't consciousness similar saying Canada would person been the reply they were looking for," Maggie MacDonald said.

Also successful March, members of the British punk stone set UK Subs said they were denied introduction to the U.S. Bassist Alvin Gibbs shared the details successful a Facebook station connected March 19, explaining that helium and 2 different set members were flagged astatine the migration booth aft an 11-hour formation from Europe for a show astatine a Los Angeles punk festival.

Officials flagged 2 issues, Gibbs wrote: that helium didn't person the close visa for entry and that determination was "another issue, which they wouldn't disclose."

"I'm present wondering if my regular and less than flattering nationalist pronouncements regarding their president and his medication were a factor," helium wrote.

Gibbs wrote that his luggage, passport and telephone were taken from him, and helium was held astatine the airdrome for 25 hours earlier being escorted onto a formation backmost home.

Students detained, writer cancels events

The U.S. administration has besides utilized its migration enforcement powers to ace down connected planetary students and scholars astatine respective American universities who had participated successful pro-Palestinian demonstrations oregon criticized Israel implicit its subject enactment successful Gaza. The Associated Press has tracked astir 10 students who person precocious been detained.

For instance, a University of Minnesota postgraduate concern pupil is currently being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Doğukan Günaydın, 28, a Turkish citizen, says 2 plainclothes national officers arrested him connected the street outside his St. Paul, Minn., location portion helium was connected his mode to people past Thursday. Günaydın was successful the U.S. connected a pupil visa.

And for that reason, award-winning Palestinian writer and author Mosab Abu Toha says helium has cancelled each of his upcoming events. Toha, who was calved successful the Gaza Strip and fled to the U.S. successful December 2023, wrote connected societal media late past week that he had 16 events scheduled for the adjacent 5 weeks astatine respective U.S. universities, including Stanford, Columbia, NYU and Cornell.

"Unfortunately I had to cancel each my upcoming events successful the United States arsenic I felt unsafe traveling, particularly aft watching students and assemblage professors abducted connected the thoroughfare conscionable successful beforehand of different people," Toha, the writer of Things You May Find Hidden successful My Ear, wrote connected March 28.

"I adjacent don't consciousness harmless going retired to prime up my kids from school. These threats made online against maine and my household are vile. And the superior threats and actions against escaped code are adjacent much vile," helium wrote.

"You cannot ideate however overmuch I was waiting to conscionable you all, friends and others."

WATCH | What to bash if you're stopped astatine the U.S. border: