For the first time in nearly twenty years, more Americans are traveling to Canada than Canadians are heading south. This is not about money, seasons, or tourism campaigns. It is a quiet decision, a retreat from a country that punishes speech, targets political opinion, and treats visitors as liabilities. The United States has turned its border into a test of loyalty, and Canadians are responding with absence, with distance, and with silence.
“In July 2025, more Americans travelled to Canada than Canadians travelled to the United States, the second time this has happened since June 2006, excluding pandemic months… Canadian residents returned from 2.6 million trips to the United States… US residents took 3.3 million trips to Canada.” https://www.travelpulse.ca/news/impacting-travel/u-s-visitors-outnumber-canadians-heading-south-for-first-time-in-nearly-20-years
Canadian road trips to the U.S. are down 35.8 percent year-over-year. Same-day crossings that used to be routine for shopping, family visits, or medical care have dropped sharply. Air travel is stalled. Cruise traffic has stopped growing. U.S. visitors to Canada remain steady. A weaker Canadian dollar helps, but the real reason is safety. Canada feels neutral, predictable, and far from the chaos brewing south of the border. Canadians are simply avoiding a country they do not trust to treat them fairly.
“A survey found that 52% of Canadians no longer feel safe travelling to the US, citing political tensions and border concerns.” https://moving2canada.com/news-and-features/news/planning/travelling-to-canada/us-cross-border-travel-trends-reverse/
That caution is now backed by official policy. On September 11, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau made it clear: foreigners who “praise, rationalize, or make light” of Charlie Kirk’s assassination could lose their visas. He encouraged Americans to tag him in posts, promised to forward names to consular officials, and said such individuals are “not welcome visitors.” Speaking freely can now cost access.
“I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country… I have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/world/americas/charlie-kirk-visas-speech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ok8.jsbe.4vTCzPgT5Flx&smid=url-share
“Landau instructed X users to tag him in posts that fit his description so that he could forward the posts to consular officials.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/state-department-threatens-immigrants-over-kirk-shooting-jokes/ar-AA1MnlAp
The crackdown has even reached the military. On September 25, the Pentagon confirmed multiple active-duty service members were suspended for social media posts about Kirk’s death. The posts range from memes to commentary. Suspensions affect the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Pentagon is keeping names and units secret, citing national security.
“The Pentagon confirmed that more active-duty service members have been suspended pending investigations into social media posts related to Charlie Kirk’s death… Officials declined to say how many troops were affected or what disciplinary actions may follow.” https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2025/09/25/more-troops-suspended-pending-investigations-into-kirk-related-posts/
