European visitors to U.S. surprised by denial of entry, dayslong detentions

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 12:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, determination person been respective high-profile incidents of tourists and visa holders being stopped astatine U.S. borderline crossings, oregon being held for weeks astatine American migration detention facilities.

In caller weeks, Britain has revised its proposal for citizens traveling to the U.S., to see a informing that anyone recovered breaking its introduction rules could look apprehension oregon detention.

Germany this week updated its question advisory for the U.S. to stress that a visa oregon introduction waiver does not warrant introduction for its citizens aft respective Germans were detained astatine the borderline recently, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

An American pistillate and her German fiancé spoke to The Associated Press astir their question ordeal aft driving backmost from Mexico successful February.

U.S. borderline agents handcuffed Lennon Tyler, a U.S. citizen, and chained her to a bench, portion her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourer permit, the mates said.

They had returned Feb. 18, conscionable 22 days into Sielaff's 90-day tourer permit, and Tyler said her spouse was questioned aggressively and struggled to reply successful his 2nd language. Authorities aboriginal handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him to a crowded U.S. migration detention centre. 

Sielaff said helium was fixed a full-body hunt and ordered to manus implicit his cellphone and belongings. He was enactment successful a holding cell, wherever helium slept connected a seat for 2 days, earlier being transferred to the Otay Mesa Detention Center successful San Diego.

Two weeks later, helium was yet told to get a nonstop formation to Germany and taxable a confirmation number. Following a frantic telephone from Sielaff, Tyler bought a ticket for $2,744. Her fiancé flew backmost March 5.

"What happened astatine the borderline was conscionable blatant maltreatment of the Border Patrol's power," said Tyler, who plans to writer the U.S. government.

Nonprofit authoritative amazed by detentions

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said successful an email to the AP that Sielaff and Jessica Brösche — different German, who was held for 45 days successful a abstracted incidental — "were deemed inadmissible" by Customs and Border Protection. 

That bureau said it cannot sermon specifics, but "if statutes oregon visa presumption are violated, travellers whitethorn beryllium taxable to detention and removal." The agencies did not remark connected different cases.

Both German tourists were allowed into the United States nether a waiver programme offered to a prime radical of countries, mostly successful Europe and Asia, whose citizens are allowed to question to the U.S. for concern oregon leisure for up to 90 days without getting a visa successful advance. 

Even if they are authorized to question nether that system, they tin inactive beryllium barred from entering the country.

WATCH l Trump medication leans into 18th-century instrumentality to deport Venezuelans:

But Pedro Rios, manager of the American Friends Service Committee, a non-profit that immunodeficiency migrants, told The Associated Press successful the 22 years helium has worked connected the border, helium has ne'er seen travellers from Western Europe and Canada, longtime U.S. allies, beryllium locked up, arsenic has happened successful a fig of incidents reported to the media.

"The lone crushed I spot is determination is simply a overmuch much fervent anti-immigrant atmosphere," Rios said.

French idiosyncratic denial disputed

A French idiosyncratic was besides precocious denied introduction into the United States for a conference, nether disputed circumstances.

"I learned with interest that a French researcher connected duty for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was travelling to a league adjacent Houston was denied introduction to the United States earlier being expelled," Minister for Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste said successful a connection to Agence France-Presse.

The measurement was seemingly taken due to the fact that the idiosyncratic had expressed a idiosyncratic sentiment connected the Trump administration's probe policy, helium added, but did not elaborate.

LISTEN l Washington Post borderline newsman Arelis Hernandez connected what's antithetic successful 2nd Trump term:

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said privateness restrictions barred the bureau from discussing circumstantial cases, but a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security vehemently denied the allegation.

Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said connected societal media that "the French researcher successful question was successful possession of confidential accusation connected his physics instrumentality from Los Alamos National Laboratory — successful usurpation of a non-disclosure statement — thing helium admitted to taking without support and attempted to conceal."

The French authorities has yet to respond to McLaughlin's statement.

Aggressive tactics, ineligible challenges

Trump truthful acold successful his 2nd word is overseeing an adjacent much assertive attack to migration issues than successful his archetypal presidency. There person been arguable incidents frankincense acold involving the detention of a assemblage field protester, and the denial of introduction to a Lebanese doc who had been studying and moving successful the U.S. for respective years, among others.

In different case, a former New York-based Columbia University student, Ranjani Srinivasan, is temporarily successful Canada aft her visa was revoked and she says she was sought by  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

WATCH l Ranjani Srinivasan tells her communicative to CBC News:

Days aft Trump's 2017 inauguration, immoderate U.S. airports saw scenes of chaos, arsenic travellers from respective Muslim-majority countries were barred introduction following an enforcement determination that adjacent immoderate authorities agencies and high-profile officials received nary beforehand informing of.

The question prohibition did not primitively basal up to ineligible scrutiny of the courts and was aboriginal amended by his administration.

Trump besides moved successful his archetypal word to rescind protections for young immigrants, sometimes called Dreamers, brought into the United States illegally arsenic children, and acted against states and cities that support amerciable immigrants.

Early successful this term, he moved to extremity birthright citizenship, which was instantly challenged successful the courts.

While Trump has emphasized curbing amerciable immigration, often utilizing degrading and dehumanizing language, the grounds of his archetypal medication was marked by a driblet successful ineligible migration adjacent earlier the COVID-19 pandemic was declared successful March 2020.

Companies successful a assortment of industries, from Silicon Valley tech to farming and manufacturing, noted a driblet successful enactment visas issued.