Thinking about Visiting America for Pokémon GO Fest? Think Twice

And no, not just because it's in New Jersey. You jerk.

Come for the Pokémon, stay for the GABAGOOL.

On the official NJ.gov website, Liberty State Park, the host site for the upcoming Pokémon GO Fest: Jersey City, is described thusly:

With the Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as a spectacular backdrop, Liberty State Park is one of the state's most dramatic parks.

A green oasis in the heart of Metropolitan northern New Jersey, Liberty State Park serves as the gateway to the region’s rich natural, cultural and historical resources.

The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal (CRRNJ), a grand setting for much of New Jersey's transportation history in the northeast, sits prominently at the north end of the park. A two-mile promenade, Liberty Walk links two picnic and playground areas, the Nature Center and the CRRNJ Terminal while presenting visitors with a sweeping view of the Hudson River. Wide open fields, miles of pathways and an outdoor performance area provide an inviting atmosphere for all types of recreation. The Liberty Landing Marina, restaurants and the NJ Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial complete the northern end of the park, while the western portion is dominated by the recently expanded, state-of-the-art Liberty Science Center.

Located directly on the shores of the Hudson River, Liberty State Park is also the only location in New Jersey with Ferry service to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Sounds great, right? Sounds like a place you might want to travel across the country or even overseas to visit? Well, I’m here to advise you that you might want to think twice about that, especially if you’re an international visitor, and my reasoning has little to do with the game itself. That’s right, Reader—you’ve waded into another thinly-veiled politics-via-Pokémon-GO post. Rejoice, or alternatively, despair.

Because we aim to take a comprehensive look at things here at The PoGO Journal, before we get to matters of geopolitical intrigue, let’s consider the event purely on its merits. Regarding the venue, as the New Jersey State Park Service advertises, you’ve got the Statue of Liberty, you’ve got Ellis Island, you’ve got the Liberty Science Center, you’ve got a “sweeping view” of the Hudson River, and more! As a lifetime New Jerseyan, I would like to say that there’s a whole lot more, but I’m going to keep it 100—not really.

If you want to stay in Jersey City proper, aside from the highlights mentioned above, there are a bunch of monuments and memorials including a 9/11 memorial, there’s the Museum of Russian Art, there are a few breweries, and, uh, that’s pretty much it. St. Peter’s University is there, if you’re—I don’t know—trolling for coeds (note: please don’t troll for coeds). If you’re a tourist, the big selling point here is the relative proximity to New York City, which is accessible by bus, train, ferry, automobile, and, for the truly adventurous, bike. Assuming it goes unresolved through the event, the first two options have gotten a bit more difficult due to the ongoing NJ Transit strike, and driving in has gotten more costly due to the recently implemented congestion pricing plan, but if you’re aiming to take Manhattan, there are manifold ways of getting there to achieve that feat alongside your Shiny hunting.

Regarding the event, do I really have to explain how this works by now? There are four rotating habitats. Most of the Pokémon encountered in the wild are filler, with appearances by Skiddo and Hawlucha, normally unavailable to most of Planet Earth, serving as the crown jewels, as well as the Shiny debuts of Carbink and Frigibax. Top billing, however, goes to the inaugural appearance of the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion and early access to the Crowned Sword and Crowned Shield forms of Zacian and Zamazenta in Raids. To my dear mother, I apologize that this is all a bunch of gobbledygook, but the main idea is that, once more, the emphasis is on shelling out for the Legendary Pokémon and rare wild encounters.

Indeed, GO Fest is about exclusivity, and you’re paying for the privilege—sweet Lord Arceus, are you paying for the privilege. The base ticket is $30. Want the Raid Lover and Egg-thusiast add-ons? $15 each. How about the Citywide Gameplay add-on? Throw another $20 on top of that. And that’s before we get to commemorative merchandise and the cost of everyday items used to simply play the game. So much for that nest egg, Trainer.

Jersey City is rich on history and features scenic views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline—and that’s about it. Pokémon GO Fest is your standard overpriced event fare, but you know what you’re in for, and at this point, it’s probably the most fun you can have playing Pokémon GO. Unless you’re getting sponsored to attend, you likely wouldn’t go without also surveying NYC and/or without meeting up with other people you specifically know have tickets for the affair. All in all, though, there’s not much that would dissuade you other than the obvious factors like price tag or scheduling conflicts, assuming you’re not someone like me, the consummate PoGO wet blanket who avoids spending money on the game on principle (what a loser!).

Unfortunately, this is where we stop to consider the current climate for individuals coming to the United States and the overall political vibes. Under Joe Biden, America wasn’t a great environment for foreign-born folks seeking either permanent or temporary legal residency or even making a short-term stop, but it wasn’t outwardly antagonistic. That has changed with the Trump administration 2.0, which has seemingly made deportation and harassment of immigrants its raison d'être. President Trump et al. have insisted that the focus of federal agents is the “worst of the worst,” but very clearly, his executive branch is targeting members of vulnerable minority groups guilty of no crime, let alone a violent offense. Numerous high-profile extraditions of people like Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador’s CECOT—perhaps the most dangerous prison in the world—under the flimsiest of pretexts is yet another low point on a decidedly bumpy national record regarding human rights abuses.

Even when subjects are legal residents or citizens, the coast, as they say, may not be clear. Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, two university students detained by nameless arms of the state for the apparent sin of vocally supporting a free Palestine, have suffered traumatic experiences while having their First Amendment rights and the right to due process trampled upon. Even Hasan Piker, U.S. citizen and high-profile politics Twitch streamer, found himself detained for hours at the behest of Customs and Border Protection owing to his outspoken advocacy against the ethnic cleansing/genocide of the Palestinian people. Depending on the color of your skin and your beliefs, you may be liable to be monitored and/or made an example of by the Trump administration. No one is above the law—well, no one except for the law itself.

This is America in 2025, and knowing all this alongside the nation’s reputation for, ahem, hospitality, you are putting yourself at risk by coming here—full stop. Assuming the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t get you, you might get shot or hit by a car or contract measles, and then you could get stuck with an exorbitant bill for medical care. And that’s when you’re truly fucked, Trainer.

Owing to my F2P status, I’m once again bypassing an event that’s basically in my backyard. The version of me that played and paid for Pokémon GO only a few years ago would probably be incredulous, but here we are. If I can’t imagine myself being in Jersey City come June 6–8, I quite frankly don’t know why anyone else would want to go. If you do decide to take the plunge anyway, make sure you back up your apps and files and purge from them your phone. Additionally, and on a related note, you should familiarize yourself with your constitutional rights should you be detained by ICE or any other immigration enforcement personnel, particularly the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution. These are dangerous times, Friend. Is a Gogoat really worth the potential trouble?