If your abuser has a criminal record, especially if it involves violence, drugs, or repeated offences, it’s very unlikely he could just hop on a plane and follow you to the USA. Here’s why:

🚫 Why He Can’t Easily Enter the USA

• Strict entry checks: The USA screens people at the visa stage and again at the border. Criminal history, especially involving violence or drugs, is a huge red flag.
• Visa refusal: With many types of convictions, he would almost certainly be denied a tourist visa.
• No ESTA option: If he’s from a Visa Waiver country, the ESTA system asks directly about convictions. If he lies, he risks being turned away at the airport or even banned permanently.
• Waivers are rare: For serious offences, the US almost never grants a waiver.

🌎 What That Means for You

• The USA could represent not just distance, but a barrier of law and security that keeps him out.
• You’d finally have space where he can’t just “show up,” and that can create a deep sense of emotional and physical safety.
• It gives you the freedom to breathe, to build, and to rediscover yourself in a place where his shadow can’t reach.

✨ Safety isn’t only about the miles you put between yourself and an abuser—it’s also about knowing the system makes it harder for them to cross those miles.

You’re right: choosing a country like the USA isn’t just about adventure—it’s about protection.