America Is No Country for Digital Nomads

As a digital nomad and someone who appreciates America deeply — its people, its culture, its values — I have to speak up about an issue that’s becoming increasingly critical: America’s visa policies and border enforcement practices are severely outdated.

A recent incident involving two young German backpackers highlights precisely why.

The German Backpacker Incident

Two German backpackers, aged 18 and 19, recently arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, from New Zealand. Their plan was simple: explore the U.S. briefly before continuing their journey through Asia.

Upon entry, they had booked accommodations for just two nights at an Airbnb, intending to remain flexible for their travels.

During routine border questioning, they innocently mentioned their freelance work — online translation and graphic design services exclusively for non-American clients.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents accessed their emails, interpreted their freelance status as intent to illegally work in the U.S., and promptly denied them entry.

The consequences were quite traumatic. The pair were detained overnight in a federal detention center, subjected to invasive strip searches, and placed in prison cells alongside potentially dangerous criminals. The following day, they were deported and permanently banned from entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

A Changed World, Unchanged Laws

We’re living in a world radically different from when many current immigration laws were drafted. The traditional model of work — tied to factories, offices, or specific locations — has fundamentally shifted.

Today, many people perform tasks and fulfill responsibilities from virtually anywhere.

The digital nomad lifestyle, once considered niche or privileged, is becoming increasingly mainstream. Yet U.S. immigration policies still operate under assumptions formed in the industrial age.

Digital nomads, freelancers, and even corporate employees now routinely blend work and leisure. For us, “work” can happen anywhere: at a café, on a beach, in the comfort of our homes, or even deep in a forest — anywhere an Internet connection is available.

The Internet has redefined the concept of workplace altogether.

Why Current Policies Fail

Under existing U.S. immigration policy, even minor acts of work — answering emails, attending a virtual meeting, or making a simple business call — while physically in the U.S. can be classified as unauthorized employment.

Consider freelancers whose primary device, their laptop, serves as both work and leisure tool; border agents can interpret this as evidence of intent to illegally work. Influencers whose income relies entirely on their smartphones face similar threats of detention and deportation.

These examples demonstrate a glaring disconnect. Laws intended to protect American workers from illegal foreign competition now inadvertently punish legitimate visitors whose presence poses no economic threat.

Rethinking Immigration for the Digital Age

Let me be clear: I’m not advocating open borders. I strongly support America’s right to secure its borders and carefully manage immigration. If I were American, I’d likely have voted for Trump in each of the past elections. My critique comes from a viewpoint aligned ideologically with those favoring secure and orderly immigration processes. But secure doesn’t mean inflexible and outdated.

America should enforce its borders, but policies must evolve to match today’s digital reality.

Immigration and visa regulations should acknowledge and explicitly accommodate location-independent work. Rather than treating digital nomads as outliers, new policies should recognize this form of work as the emerging norm.

What’s A Digital Nomad Traveling To The US To Do?

Given these realities, digital nomads must exercise extreme caution when traveling to the United States:

• Avoid bringing devices used primarily for work; rent or buy locally if needed.
• Clearly book accommodations and travel itineraries in advance to support tourist intentions.
• Fully log out of professional email accounts, cloud storage, and freelance platforms before landing.
• Be mindful that casual conversations with border agents can lead to misunderstandings. Answer honestly but cautiously.

These recommendations are defensive measures. They’re not solutions. They highlight the absurdity digital nomads currently face.

Policy Needs To Evolve

America urgently needs policies that reflect modern realities. Immigration laws should explicitly define permissible work-related activities for short-term visitors and digital nomads.

By updating these laws, the U.S. would effectively balance border security with contemporary work practices.

As someone who deeply respects and admires America, I hope policymakers can reimagine immigration policies for the digital age.

America can maintain strong borders while acknowledging and adapting to a world that increasingly works from anywhere.

I hope America can align immigration laws with today’s work reality, and keep America secure, welcoming, and in step with the modern world.