If you are from the UK or Germany and planning a holiday to the United States, things just got a little bit more complicated. Both governments are now starting to tell their citizens to be cautious before flying over the Atlantic. Why? Because the US border control laws have been very strict recently and do not tolerate any violation.
The British Foreign Office just refreshed their travel guidance for America. The message? If you do not follow the rules you might face detainment. Yes, really. They are saying that entry or statute errors could easily bring you trouble. The airport is not an arrest-free zone anymore. Severe, isn’t it?
Unsurprisingly, these specific statements were not included last month which left room for the warning appearing to say, “The US is strict.” But once Germany started showing more incidents of the same nature, the UK decided to up it’s game. A mere shows of coincidence? I guess not.
Even Germany has a red flag raised by Foreign Ministry. As claimed by them, even having an active visa or an ESTA does not make border control guarantee a smooth passage. That’s right, even with all your paperwork as it should be, US border agents can still deny you without any further questions. And if that is the case, it is pretty much impossible for you or your embassy to alter those results.
They’ve also restricted German tourists by requiring them to show reasons for why they will be leaving the country, preferably return tickets. Apparently, some travelers were indeed turned away, or worse, got detained because there was no proof of being able to leave.
First things first, don’t panic – it is fair to say that this is not an official travel ban, or something of the sort. It is rather a summary after some peculiar activity around the border. Similar to the peculiar activity surrounding the border, this also consists of a German 25 year old who got detained in a certain area sandwhiched between US and Mexican border and then taken to a deportation center in handcuffs.
And if you thought that was wild, here is another one: a French scientist was barred from entering the US due to the content of his phone texts. Apparently, American border control was not fond of the messages he sent that mocked ex-President Donald Trump. It was even verified by France’s Minister of Higher education who mentioned that the denial appeared to be related to the scientist’s private discussions around American policy of research.
So yes, make sure that if you are traveling to the US soon, all your documents are in place, your itinerary is set, and for good measure, keep your political views off your mobile phone The border control agents reserve the right to everything, and once a decision has been made, there is no going back. Is that tough? Of course, but at least now you know it all.
Be wise with your travel plans ladies and gentlemen.
