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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHoly shit...My brother's tour to Portugal includes one guy who's an ICE agent and another who's an immigration attorney!
Last edited Tue Nov 11, 2025, 04:24 AM - Edit history (1)
I want to preface this by saying that I personally HATE discussing politics when I'm on vacation. When I'm on vacation, I want to experience the culture, sights, sounds and food of wherever I'm at and NOT waste any time discussing the typically fucked up state of American politics. There's more than enough time to engage in that at home. Vacation time is precious.
My brother, on the other hand, LOVES to talk politics when he's on vacation. Which, probably played a part in the totally bonkers revelation that two of his European tour fellow travelers earn their living in diametrically opposed manners. One is a fucking ICE agent while the other is an immigration attorney. I learned about this when my brother called a few hours ago. I have no idea how the rest of the trip is going to go.
Holy shit.
Silent Type
(11,959 posts)ICE guy can play golf 24/7 on federal payroll as far as Im concerned.
BannonsLiver
(20,089 posts)PeaceWave
(2,465 posts)Personally, I would feel extremely uncomfortable being in the same bus with this kind of individual. The alumni tour packages offered by the extremely liberal college I attended now sound MUCH more appealing - weeds out the riff raff don't ya know.
BannonsLiver
(20,089 posts)I wouldnt enjoy that bus ride either. Like you I dont like talking about politics while on vacation, especially when abroad and locals ask me about Trump or our politics. I answer them, but dont exactly appreciate the reminder.
fujiyamasan
(948 posts)I dont mind talking politics with foreigners and only to explain the situation here. Most people abroad despise Trump anyways so thats not an issue.
Last summer was interesting we stayed in Paris where the owner and I got speaking and ended up on Trump, and somehow he mentioned he spent time in the UK, and how he personally knew Nigel Farage at one point. He mentioned he was just a terrible person.
Id probably avoid talking politics with other Americans though. As you said, I prefer taking in the food and culture of the place Im in, and not spend that time worrying about the hellscape that orange menace is trying to create back home.
UTUSN
(76,293 posts)yaesu
(8,807 posts)nilram
(3,424 posts)Old Crank
(6,404 posts)Politics rarely came out. Mostly US with about 10 percent Canadian.
One couple wore matching No Kings Day shirts on the last day.
I would expect that bike tourists would be on the more liberal side of the meter.
BaronChocula
(3,747 posts)from the 70s.
"Lou Fyre is an attorney and immigrants rights advocate. He just found out the father of his daughter's fiancé Works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can be sure it'll be Fyre and ICE."
orleans
(36,529 posts)gator "mask" so no one will know who he is
DFW
(59,342 posts)The ICE guy can ask them for their ID and then try to arrest them, where the attorney tries to get him to leave them alone.
One minor difference to what would have happened if they had all been in the USA: the ICE thug would have been arrested, tossed in jail, and then expelled from the EU with a stamp in his passport saying he was never again to be allowed to return. His name, head scan, and personal data would be fed into both an EU database and that of Interpol, in case he should try again with a new passport if the current one should expire or be conveniently lost.