Comment by bwestergard
9 months ago
For those wondering, several German nationals have been detained through a process irregular enough to garner comment from the German government.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/germany-inve...
9 months ago
For those wondering, several German nationals have been detained through a process irregular enough to garner comment from the German government.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/germany-inve...
This is why I won't visit the US anytime soon. Going through US immigration has always been stressful. In the past, a friend of mine was sent back after flying for 14 hours because immigration didn't believe that they were actually a tourist.
Recently, it seems to have gotten even worse.
It's not worth the stress for me personally, even if the real-world probability of getting detained or rejected is still relatively small.
Similar story out of Canada. Pretty white Canadian lady (usually an untouchable class of people) with good paperwork thrown in a pit for weeks:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-det...
While her treatment is unjustifiable, her visa was revoked (again, not much justification for this) and then she continued to live in the US for months after it happened. Only after living in the US for months illegally was she detained.
It's like people who insist on using crosswalks without looking for oncoming traffic. You may be right, but you will also be dead. Follow the rules.
Any link to where she lived in the US illegally? The only thing I see is
>She was denied entry into the country while trying to make her way from Mexico to San Diego, California after her work visa was revoked back in November while traveling from Vancouver to Los Angeles.
Presumably she wasn't in the US or she wouldn't have been trying to enter the US from Mexico.
1 reply →
That does not make sense... In November, her visa was revoked at the border, when trying to enter the US. At that point, she was obviously turned around back into Canada. Then later, she was detained when trying to enter the US from Mexico in 2025.
So, how do you suggest she managed to enter the US after November in order to have remained there illegally? Did the CBP, who have just revoked her visa a few days/weeks prior, just let her in on a tourist visa? That does not sound very believable, even for the previous US administration.
And what do you suggest her plan was? Previously she was on TN work visa. You seem to think that after having her TN visa revoked, she managed to get into the US on a 90-day tourist visa instead (thus working there illegally), which is why she needed to run for the border after 3 months, and why she was detained when trying to re-enter. But what kind of plan is that – to run for the border every 90 days after having your TN visa revoked. That is such an obvious recipe for failure, nobody who employs an immigration lawyer – like that lady – would have gone ahead with it.
I've definitely seen other headlines overselling similar detention stories for rage bait, but I don't see much wiggle room in this case.
"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime."
If overnight, people suddenly start getting arrested and thrown in a pit for speeding, you shouldn't think "ah, they were breaking the law". If you agree there's not much justification for this, I don't even understand what point you're trying to make. Laws are not simple or black and white. They're often a huge contradictory mess. That's why you need flexibility, precedent, and most importantly humanity. Her family couldn't find her. No access to legal. Her treatment was psychotic. Period.
Again, no idea what point you're trying to make here.
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What are you even trying to say? There’s no point in saying anything past “her treatment was unjustifiable.” The rest doesn’t matter if you care about ethical treatment in the slightest.
3 replies →
And another news today with a German 25 yo guy. He came back from a side-trip to Mexico and was cuffed at the border from Mexico to US.
"The German government has responded with a warning to travelers to the USA in response to several Germans being placed in detention pending immigration upon entry in recent weeks."
https://www-welt-de.translate.goog/politik/ausland/article25...
There was also a French scientist traveling to a conference who was refused entry because texts on his phone / social media were critical of Trump’s cuts to science funding. It was deemed terroristic to be hateful of the president.
[0] is the article from LeMonde (in french) for anyone interested.
[0] https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2025/03/19/etat...
THIS
The risk of gun violence is incredibly low, especially in venues like you might find traveling to a conference.
The real risk is the Immigration and Customs people. They are insanely unpredictable right now, and are taking wildly unexpected actions against any targets, usually on a political basis. Visitors from Canada, Britian, France, Germany and others have been detained in unpleasant conditions for days to weeks.
If you come, take at least these steps:
* scrub all social media accounts of political content, especially anything critical of right-wing policies
* Bring a digitally clean phone and laptop, preferably one you can afford to lose. Stare with a clean install, make sure there is no social media history or documents or images related to any kind of protest action. It may be wise to have a sanitized social media account with only work-related posts and likes.
* If your friends or family are involved in any kind of protests or actions (including against Tesla), be sure they are at least not referenced in any of your accounts or content you have on your devices.
It really looks like ICE are trying to make examples of anyone to discourage visitors, especially visitors who might be activists. If you are an activist, do not come, or be sure to scrub well to hide it fully.
If you can make it through the gauntlet, we welcome you and hope you have an enjoyable visit! (and deep apologies for this administration most of us do not want; they did not win by a majority)
This reminds me of the list of steps journalists should perform before travelling to North Korea.
Yes, that is a great reference — I should probably have included that! I'm even expecting to do the same for my next trips abroad a US citizen, to avoid trouble on returning.
My understanding is the French scientist was deported on arrival because he had a text complaining about the new administration's defunding of science. So, an even innocuous complaint about policy is politicized to an insane degree.
(and yes, I fully understand the implications of the North Korea reference. Unfortunately, it does not appear we can take it as a joke or exaggeration. All signs are this administration is doing everything possible to convert the form of govt from a democracy to a dictatorship)
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