German teens detained, deported from US over 'suspicious itinerary'

Planning to travel to the US? Have you booked your stay fully? If not, then you may want to think it through — because two German teenagers, Charlotte Pohl (19) and Maria Lepère (18), ran into unexpected trouble during their trip when US border officers reportedly detained and jailed them, citing their trip as “suspicious”.

 

According to a report by The Independent, citing German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung, both the teenagers landed in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 18, where they were reportedly denied entry into the US, despite possessing valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approvals.

 

They had travelled to the US after a trip from Thailand and New Zealand.

 

At Honolulu International Airport, the officers allegedly interrogated Pohl and Lepère for hours and subjected them to body scans and strip searches. Soon after, the US Customs and Border Protection agents informed them that they would not be allowed entry and would be deported, the report added. 

 

Why were they denied entry?

Because they had not fully booked accommodation for their five-week stay in Hawaii.

 

“They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii. We wanted to travel spontaneously, just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand," Pohl said, as quoted by The Independent.

 

They further added that they were then put in a holding cell for the night alongside long-term detainees — some of whom, they said, were even accused of serious crimes — reported Beat of Hawaii.

 

The next day, they were reportedly escorted in handcuffs back to Honolulu International Airport, where they asked to be flown to Tokyo, Japan, from where they returned to their hometown of Rostock three days later. 

 

The development comes in the backdrop of the immigration crackdown by the Donald Trump administration in the US. Last month, Germany issued an advisory for its citizens, highlighting that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry into the US, reported The Independent. Following this incident, the German Foreign Office also emphasised that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry into the US.