Neil Young expresses concern about being barred from re-entering the US

Neil Young has expressed concern over being refused entry into the US following his European tour, due to his critiques of President Donald Trump.

The musician has dual Canadian-American citizenship, and will tour across Europe in June and July. The tour will mark his first show overseas in six years. On Tuesday, Young posted his fears to his website Neil Young Archives following the recent influx of people being detained and deported.

“When I go to play music in Europe, if I talk about Donald J Trump, I may be one of those returning to America who is barred or put in jail to sleep on a cement floor with an aluminium blanket,” he wrote. “That is happening all the time now. Countries have new advice for those returning to America.”

Young became a US citizen during Trump’s first term in 2020. He posted an open letter to the president at the time, calling him “a disgrace to my country.”

“If the fact that I think Donald Trump is the worst president in the history of our great country could stop me from coming back, what does that say for Freedom?” he wrote. “Remember Freedom of Speech?”

Last week, members of the British punk band UK Subs were detained and denied entry into the US.

“I can’t help but wonder whether my frequent, and less than flattering, public comments regarding their president and his administration played a role – or perhaps I’m simply succumbing to paranoia,” said vocalist Charlie Harper.

“If I come back from Europe and am barred, can’t play my USA tour, all of the folks who bought tickets will not be able to come to a concert by me,” Young wrote. “That’s right folks. If you say anything bad about Trump or his administration, you may be barred from re-entering USA if you are Canadian. If you are a dual citizen like me, who knows? We’ll all find that out together.”