DeusxMac wrote:

Additionally, where the tourists were entering the country from can be a red flag; is it a location where drugs and other contraband frequently enters from.

While most international visitors experience no issues entering Hawaii, this case serves as a cautionary reminder that what works in other countries may not work when dealing with U.S. immigration authorities.

Stories like this could impact Hawaii’s image, particularly among international visitors facing high costs and growing overtourism concerns.

United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has tried to ease concerns of European travelers wanting to visit the USA by saying, “If you’re not coming to the United States to join a Hamas protest, or to come here and tell us about how right Hamas is, or…stir up conflict on our campuses and create riots in our streets and vandalize our universities, then you have nothing to worry about.”

DeusxMac wrote:

"...visiting countries like Thailand and New Zealand..."

"Germany's Foreign Ministry says on its website: 'Neither a valid ESTA authorization nor a valid U.S. visa constitutes a right to entry into the USA….

special wrote:
it's all smoke and mirrors. They want to show MAGA they do *something*.

Germans, Canadians, Mexicans, does not matter as long as they can throw someone in ICE detention for a few days and then put them on a plane. Mission accomplished!

pdq wrote:
[quote=DeusxMac]

"...visiting countries like Thailand and New Zealand..."

pdq wrote:

"...they were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S. under false pretenses. One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program. Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work—something strictly prohibited under U.S. immigration laws for these visas."

Have you missed the accounts of all of these ICE detentions? They always want you to sign something. Do you really believe two teenagers paid for trans-Pacific flights, spending time in Thailand and New Zealand, all in order to earn minimum wage in the US (which is considerably lower than in Germany)?

Don’t be so gullible.

pdq wrote:

"Germany's Foreign Ministry says on its website: 'Neither a valid ESTA authorization nor a valid U.S. visa constitutes a right to entry into the USA….

I would guess every country reserves such a right, kinda like businesses/bars that reserve the right to deny service to anyone (if they’re drunk/loud/troublesome). But they don’t toss customers at random because the owner thinks the place is too crowded. And most countries don’t force visitors who have invested money and effort to visit and spend money to turn around and fly back to another country. You’re right it’s not a “deportation”, since they were never here - but it’s the same result (except they fortunately didn’t end up in a supermax prison!).

Honestly, some skepticism, please.

DeusxMac wrote:

Again, "refused entry" is not "ICE dentetion", nor "deportation".

The pair were ultimately taken to a detention facility, with officers telling them they would have to leave the country the following day. They were able to reschedule their Tokyo flight to accommodate the directive, but first had to spend a harrowing night behind bars dressed in green prison uniforms.

“They made us do a full strip search,” one shared in the Reddit post. “It was really cold. We had to undress completely, including bra and underwear, and even had to squat and spread… I don’t want to describe it in too much detail, but it was humiliating and scary.”

And, if they admitted they had actually planned to work while holding non-work-authorized visas...(td)

…the biggest strike against the teens, they said, was that they mentioned during their interview that they occasionally did “small freelance jobs online.” While they claimed not to have any customers in the U.S., this led agents to believe they were attempting to work illegally during their time in the country.