The arrest of U.K. citizen Finley Bowd in Ireland while traveling to a U.S. comic convention – evidently last weekend’s Anime NYC – highlights a major risk noted in our pre-SDCC visas and comic-cons series: the search of phones and other devices by U.S. border patrol agents.| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Thank you for supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in the fight to protect the comic arts! We look forward to seeing you at tonight’s annual CBLDF Comic-Con Welcome Party and Silent Auction, co-sponsored by Oni Press, The Nacelle Company,…Read more →| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
We look forward to seeing you soon in San Diego! On Thursday night, we’ll be hosting our annual Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Comic-Con Welcome Party, sponsored by Oni Press, The Nacelle Company, and Mad Cave Studios, along with GlobalComix, Kickstarter, and Raremarq! Join us once again at the Westgate Hotel on Thursday, July 24, from 8pm to midnight to celebrate & support free expression through the comic arts!| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Heightened visa and immigration enforcement have justifiably raised concerns among international creators and the U.S. comics community alike. Is travel safe? What could lead to detention or denial of entry? Are there options for protecting one’s freedom to create beyond…Read more →| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
We continue to get questions about visa issues, and one that was particularly poignant was whether trans creators would be detained or denied when crossing the border into the U.S. As with the rules on work for tourist and business…Read more →| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
SDCC 2025: Oni Press & The Nacelle Company Rev Up the Annual CBLDF San Diego Comic-Con Welcome Party with BIKER MICE FROM MARS! | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
This post builds on our previous analysis of the fundamental principles of the visa system with a more detailed examination of how border patrol and ICE officials could perceive specific comic-con activities. Since the tourism visa and ESTA travel for leisure purposes generally prohibit remunerated activity, the B-1 visa and ESTA travel expressly for business purposes will be our primary focus here – other visa categories will be the topic of next post. That said, this post will also discus...| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Attending a comic-con on a tourist visa or ESTA is a relatively low-risk endeavor for a fan with a hotel room who is just going to enjoy the experience. So long as you limit your activity to seeing panels and…Read more →| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The recent detention of cartoonist Becky Burke and ongoing ICE raids exemplify the importance of understanding U.S. immigration law, which applies both to nonimmigrant temporary visitors and immigrants leaving their home countries to reside here permanently. The heightened degree of…Read more →| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Now that convention season is well underway, one of the most frequent questions we’ve been hearing here at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is whether it’s safe for creators from other countries to go to comic-cons in the U.S.| Comic Book Legal Defense Fund