Boycott IETF 127

Perceived risks of US travel and conferences

• Many commenters say recent US border detentions make attending IETF 127 and other US conferences personally unsafe, even for visa holders with strong passports.
• Reports linked from the thread describe people with valid visas or green cards being held for days or weeks, interrogated, denied medication, sleep, or adequate warmth/food, sometimes in solitary; some participants characterize this as torture.
• Several note that, for them, the risk of being arbitrarily detained far outweighs the benefit of a conference or vacation.

Alternatives to US venues

• Multiple companies and academic groups have already moved events from the US to Europe, Canada, or Mexico.
• Canada (Vancouver, Montreal) and Mexican destinations (Mexico City, Cancun/Riviera Maya) are proposed as good substitutes; others point out cartel violence and high crime in some Mexican regions.
• Transit through the US is itself risky or impractical for those avoiding it, since there is no sterile international transit and C1 visas still require in‑person interviews.

“Not new” vs escalation

• One camp argues the US has long been a bad location for “inclusive” international conferences: difficult visas, frequent denials for people with weaker passports, and harsh treatment at the border predate the current administration.
• Others counter that:
  • Detention and carceral conditions for conference travelers (rather than simple visa denial) are qualitatively new or at least scaled up.
  • Searches of phones and alleged consequences for anti‑administration speech feel like a meaningful change.

Transgender and documentation concerns

• Trans travelers report official advice that mismatched or updated gender markers can now be treated as “fraudulent,” with risk of detention or deportation.
• Commenters describe US policy and rhetoric as making travel effectively unsafe for many trans people; some European governments are cited as warning their non‑binary/trans citizens about US travel.

RFK “wellness farms” and ADHD

• The boycott site’s claim about “camps for people with ADHD” is heavily disputed.
• RFK’s own quoted remarks describe voluntary “wellness farms” to get people off illegal drugs, psychiatric meds, SSRIs, benzos, and Adderall.
• Critics argue, given his rhetoric about mental health and historical precedent for “camps,” this is ominous; defenders say reframing it as compulsory ADHD concentration camps is dishonest hyperbole.

Assessment of the boycott initiative and messaging

• Strong support: many see boycotting US meetings as consistent with IETF’s inclusivity code of conduct and a necessary stand against authoritarian drift.
• Strong skepticism: others call the boycott site incoherent, hysterical, or factually inaccurate, claiming it mixes serious issues (border detentions, trans exclusion) with exaggerations that undermine credibility.
• Some emphasize that similar or worse immigration abuses exist in other countries; others reply that the US combination of arbitrary detention, lack of due process, and open authoritarian rhetoric is uniquely alarming.

Meta: HN moderation and tech community role

• Several lament that such discussions are frequently flagged on HN, interpreting this as avoidance or “cowardice” in the face of rising authoritarianism.
• Others argue the thread is one‑sided political activism unsuited to HN and would only spark flamewars.
• There is speculation about long‑term impacts on US tech hiring and a note that standards bodies and ecosystems (e.g., RISC‑V) are already relocating or meeting in Europe/Schengen instead.