An Australian was deported from the United States simply because he flew here via Hong Kong instead of non-stop.
It’s often cheaper to fly via Asia (certainly easier to get frequent flyer award tickets in business class that way), and doesn’t add that much time to the total journey when traveling to the East Coast. However, it apparently looked odd to the border agent processing the man and a day one Executive Order from President Trump insists on “enhanced vetting.”
- The man was held and interrogated for 8 hours
- He was valid for his status with no criminal history, though immigration officers can deny entry for any reason or not reason
- He was enroute to Florida for a $15,000 cruise—which he lost because he didn’t make it for the sailing.
While questions have been raised about some stories around visitors from the UK, Germany, and Canada facing similarly stringent and invasive border checks, including confiscation of electronic devices and prolonged interrogations, there are enough of these examples to be scaring off visitors. A young British woman recently endured 19 days of detention in an immigration facility.
U.S. officials deny targeting travelers based on political beliefs or nationalities, which in some sense is even worse – Australians and Brits no longer feel safe coming here, and can’t tell themselves “well, I’m good, I’m white.”
Foreign visits to the U.S. were already off about 20% in March. Forward bookings by Europeans traveing to the U.S. are down 25% for travel this summer, according to Accor Hotels.
At New York JFK alone, 194 arriving foreigners were deemed ‘inadmissible’ in March up from “135 inadmissible aliens that were removed in February at the port of entry.” And the U.S. gets to decide who’s even allowed to fly here in the first place, reviewing airline passenger lists prior to departure.
As stories like this spread, more and more people are going to avoid flying here. I’ve been asked by friends, family and readers whether they should risk travel to the United States right now – knowing that they’re fully compliant with the law but that there’s simply discretion being exercised to turn people away in ways that cannot be predicted.
There’s always risk crossing a border, because so much is left to individual agents who do not judge things in the same manner. That’s true in the U.S. and elsewhere. CBP has historically rotated people around different roles, so sometimes you get inexperienced agents used to inspecting cargo processing passenger arrivals. But this is different. The stories stack. And even if you find the individual decisions reasonable, the cumulative effective is a narrative that keeps people away.
That’s bad for the U.S. economy and jobs. It’s bad for cultural understanding and peace. And it’s bad for international relations. The U.S. needs allies, and frayed relations diminishes U.S. soft power and an ability to exert influence in world affairs.
(HT: Live and Let’s Fly)
I guarantee there’s more to this story. There’s a series on Discovery (or a similar channel) about border control. Enhanced question/vetting happens on a regular basis and there’s protocol on how that’s done. It happened to me many years ago coming back from Thailand. I spent an hour answering questions and having my belongings and me searched.
On the surface, seems stupid on the US.. but….
I am ashamed to be a us citizen at this point. We have allowed a dictator to take over the country
This is only going g to get worst.
How many Boeing jet orders are going to be cancelled. Because of the tariffs being applied in France, Germany, UK ect. on products being Imported from the US? Going to be good for Airbus.
Why would anyone want to visit the US right now?
40% of the population has made it clear foreigners are not welcome and the risks seem to vastly outweigh the value. Of course, if the dollar continues to drop and the economy continues to dive we may eventually become a bargain destination worth the risk.
I suspect there is much more to this story than transit thru Hong Kong.
First of all you want to arrive 2 days before your cruise.
Second, I’m a Caucasian US Citizen with no criminal record except a few speeding tickets. I can remember flying thru Miami once from Brazil via Panama and I was probably the 1 out of 50 who was flagged for extra inspection.
And in the 1990’s Crossing the border from Canada to the USA were were the one out of 50 who our entire VW Campmobile inspected along with our luggage. The drug dogs gave us a sniff and were uninterested.
And in the 2000’s I was over my personal allowance by about $200 flying thru Seattle. I got the third degree inspection for about an hour and a duty bill of $10….
A Friend who’s Brother works for Customs says that they will flag travelers at random if something seems off or they are number 50 or 100
I can live with it if it prevents another 9/11 or illegal immigrants committing murders. The Trump admin is just cleaning up from the last 4 years. And a majority of Americans approve of doing just that.
Agree with you Trk, especially about the “friendly” relations with Putin. After having crossed the borders of well over 100 countries I like to enter them via land or sea, and the more remote the point the less likely you are to have trouble. But that’s not the point here. Some border people, like some TSA agents, cops or others in similar positions are great, others love their little bit of power and will stick it to anybody they feel like. And when the person at the top gives them permission to act out their worst instincts it’s open season.
While as George says there could be more to the story this does sound awful and it certainly will discourage others from coming and spending their money (and meeting the friendly Americans) here. Certainly it could well be arbitrary profiling. The whole thing sounds like when my wife and I flew back from Cancun with the kids. The customs people ignored our family while pretty much disassembling what the college students behind us were carrying. If I was a smuggler guess which people I’d use as my mules.
I recently had two family members fly in from overseas. I held my breath the entire time they were going through immigration at Miami. My wife now carries a passport card in her purse just in case
“It’s bad for cultural understanding and peace. And it’s bad for international relations.”
The majority of MAGA folks don’t really care, do they?
Many of the horror stories have turned out to be hoaxes. One transplant surgeon was denied entry back into the US “for no reason” but turned out to not be a surgeon but a nephrologist and someone who supported terrorists, attending the funeral of a Hezbollah leader who was not her relative and had deleted photos of Hezbollah officials.
Even this newspaper that reported the story lied by being deceptive. They said ” A young British woman recently endured 19 days of detention in an immigration facility.” when she was, in fact, trying to cross the land border from the US to Canada when Canada (Not Trump or the US) denied her entry because she was planning to work illegally. When she appeared at US customs after being kicked out of Canada a few minutes earlier, they had to do something. Canada should have deported her but they are an evil country and pass the buck.
This person could very well have had multiple suspicious factors and the Cathay Pacific part is just the person’s own excuse. He could have very well said “the only reason they deported me was because I wear Adidas shoes” and then complained that American is anti-Adidas.
Bottom line: we need more information before slamming America. So far we have only the information provided by the bad guy.
The United States would certainly be on my “no go” list for another three years, nine months, and 15 days if I weren’t a citizen.
It certainly seems unusual to fly from Oz to Florida for a cruise.
People are just so stupid saying that Trump is a dictator when you don’t even have a clue the meaning of a dictator. Do you think Trump is on the likes of Stalin, Mussolini, Mao Ze Dong? Really? How is protecting the border dictatorship? How is getting rid of waste in the government dictatorship? Think about this people…Biden was more of a dictator than anything else. He implemented heavy censorship with the media. That is one characteristic of a dictatorship. Educate yourself people.
Wait till it starts happening more to US citizens.
This seems like a mix of incompetence and unnecessary cruelty, which sadly is becoming the new norm. Other examples would be the ‘renditioning’ of all those non-criminals to El Salvador without due process, merely ‘because they (in this government) can’. Or the scapegoating, vilifying, and firing of tens of thousands of civil servants, who were neither corrupt nor inefficient.
So, where are those ‘common sense’ folks, now? Oh, turns out, they were just rabid partisans.
And to those like @Al (and @derek), who claim that others (like me) are merely over-reacting in-response to instances like this: No. It doesn’t have to literally be 1945 for this to be fascistic. @Bob is right; it’s likely going get worse. We know better, and this is just wrong. Time to wake up. You don’t have to wait until it affects you personally. Speak out now, in any way you can.
Travelled entensively in the US for many years up to 2016. Nothing since then, and plan on keeping it that way.
It’s now too risky (power-crazed border officials), too expensive (and set to get way worse) and too violent (random gun violence). So, no thanks!
I feel sorry for those of you who are still reasonable and sane people.
Glad I saw so much before the country went down the gurgler.
I would love to hear the follow up on this story. They didn’t stop this guy for nothing and anyone with half a brain cell knows it.
Gary, are you going to rant against Trump on every article for the next 4 years. It is kind of tedious. We get it, you hate the guy. I mean, I do not watch the View for a reason. I come here to read interesting news about the airline industry. Ok, I know you cannot help venting, he affects you emotionally. But just tone it down a little. You used to pretend to be moderate.
When she appeared at US customs after being kicked out of Canada a few minutes earlier, they had to do something.” Why? She had to go somewhere other than Canada. She was (presumably) a US Citizen, what were the legal grounds for not letting her re-enter? Everybody denied entry into the US is sent back home.
I could be wrong, but I’ve always felt that border was agents don’t really know much about travel. Especially international travel. I could be wrong.
Nice ‘need more information’ excuse by @George N Romey, @Dave Flaat, and now @cairns.
Fellas, the Sydney Morning Herald, which Gary linked to, stated that the person in-question was ‘accused of no wrongdoing’ and that the border patrol found his circuitous routing via HKG to be suspicious. Like, that’s it. We’re not going to learn more.
This is just another example of the administration abusing its power, allowing border patrol to be cruel and unusual to innocent visitors. We didn’t stop a terrorist here. Rather, we made a bad example of an Australian tourist, and now we’re going to hurt our economy further because the word is out that we’re not a safe or welcoming place anymore.
Gary’s take was correct.
Seems like Fake News. The only reference to this story is in an Opinion Piece in the Sydney Morning Herald. There is no face, no name, no identity, and no fact checking, only a narrative that the opinion writer / Editor wanted to get published.
Let’s get to the bottom of this “opinion”
Landing in Singapore: “Good evening Sir, Madam. Please enjoy your stay in Singapore.”
Landing in the US: “Next in line! No! I said Counter 2, not 3! Behind the line!” “Laptops out!” “Purpose of visit?” “Next!”
Looks like the Trump supporters are on the defensive.
By.saying things like there is more to this and this is normal the Trump supporter are nervous. And rightfully so!
derek and al appear to be trolls. they are most likely in Russia
Welcome to trumps facist regime. Well done basket of deplorables….
@Jane Jacobs — I’ve noticed this more lately, too. For instance, previous right-wing trolls, @Andy S, @Mike P, etc. don’t even bother showing up here anymore. Do svidaniya! Small victories.
“hey didn’t stop this guy for nothing and anyone with half a brain cell knows it.”
Fortunately most of us have more than half a brain cell.
@Gary, your politics are showing. 194 people denied entry for March at JFK verse how many came through without problems? What were the issues wiith the 194? How did the number compared to 2024? What evidence do you have that he was detained flying through HK vs nonstop? Better reporting is desperately needed.
One of the largest sources of illegal immigration is people overstaying their visas whem flying into the US. It makes sense for more though interviews to be given to people’s visa statements match their intentions.
Thanks for writing about this Gary. All my non-US Citizen family and friends who live abroad have cancelled their plans to visit the US for the time being. Some of them were planning to visit this summer.
I’m afraid of being questioned for my usual circuitous routing to get cheaper fares or redeem miles. While they can’t deny entry as I’m a US Citizen, what they can do is harass, intimidate, search my devices and cancel Global Entry.
@PM1 — That’s a real shame, because we (the USA) used to be a more open, welcoming place. Your and their concerns are valid. Our Constitution only protects our right to move freely between the states; international travel is and always has been a privilege. Any and all of our passports can be revoked on a whim. Those in-charge these days are not honorable. This isn’t mere ‘TDS’.
@Brian W — You bet this is politics. Everything that deals with people, power, money, and culture, is inevitably and inherently politics. The free movement of people is also politics. The mistreatment of visitors to our country is real, and we’re all going to ‘pay the price’ for such shortsightedness.
@Orange — For an ‘Orange’ fellow, at least you’re still fairly ‘with it,’ sir or madam.
He should have flown through Russia, our new bestest best friend in the world. Or maybe North Korea, the other nation not subject to tariffs. I’m sure the Trump regime would have let him right in then.
While reading this, I texted 2 friends that work for CBP in the airports, and both said there’s a LOT more to this story. One said he can’t talk about it, the other said its not just “random” anymore.
I have a feeling this is going to be another “french scientist” deportation story where we find out a LOT more and there was a legit reason for turning said person around once the rest of the story comes out. If the media “allows” it.
Appears Jumping To Conclusions is todays exercise for some commenters. I suppose that’s to be expected when 3 bullet points tell the story.
I’m relatively new to this site. I’m here because I’m interested in travel, having done so for about 27 years with the federal government to many countries.
Can’t we just discuss air transportation, and travel. Oh, and credit cards, points and miles?
It gets a bit tedious to listen to all these political comments.
Many years ago my wife and I arrived international into LAX on our way to DFW to visit our daughter. For unknown reasons she was detained / questioned while I was admitted. It took over an hour and then she was admitted. When she asked what the problem was the response was “M’am you were never in the detained area”. We suspect it might have been because we travelled via Malaysia the previous year (used points for free flight), or the airline might have not filed her immigration slip upon leaving (put in passports in those days). That response though — they’re gods!
@JD — Immigration is inherently political. What’s happening is concerning to many of us.
I presume that you mean well, and are not attempting to depoliticize an obviously political topic.
Gary does not appear to micromanage comments at VFTW. Instead, he seems to encourages the free exchange of ideas, debate, banter, and respectful disagreement in these comments. If you don’t like something someone else has said, you can ignore or engage. It’s really that simple.
In the past, some, like @One Trippe (thank you for not doing this here so far), have requested to ‘mute’ or ‘censor’ those that they apparently disagree with. That is not the way.
Censorship is antithetical to this community and the ideals of free speech and expression, within reason. That said, it’s Gary’s site, and he can do as he wishes with it.
There is part of a story here that is not being fully told. I can almost guarantee it. Let me give you an example:
I remember one episode of those shows tracking CBP when interviewing a young girl who clearly had an intention to stay with her BF in the US with her US BF but that would have been hard to prove and I think normally they would let her in and then deport her if she overstayed her visitor visa.
But what CBP did instead – they asked her if she ever smoked any pot. Being Dutch she admitted that she did and that it was legal there as much as it is legal in a lot of states including the one where where she wanted to go. But immigration is a federal matter and as part of ESTA for EU citizens one had to attest that they had never consumed an illegal substance. That resulted in an immediate revocation of her ESTA (and I think either 5 year ban or 5 year ESTA prohibition – but good luck getting another sot of visa. )
I can almost guarantee you that the case had a similar circumstances. People took for granted access to a country and don’t read the small print fully and then they get, for the lack of better word scr.wd.
That was never really enforced before, but now the small print became as important as your medical insurance policy when it comes to approval or denial of your claim.
In reply to JD:
I haven’t read all the comments but for sure people write their opinions and they are inherently political. But this is completely valid topic. Knowing full story would have helped but all the sources and the traveler himself/herself for sure would not necessarily say it.
My only point is that everyone should really read what’s in any application they make – like FF would read Full Fare rules to the most tedious detail. Trust me I have done a fare share of those myself.
It looks like to those visa holders now it’s equally import to read every line of visa requirements an conditions even after you have been granted one, because post grant violations are possible.
Though – I certainly can’t guarantee it wasn’t just simply the officer following new guidance whether correctly or incorrectly.
So I will just say it once more – if you have anything other than US passport read the rules and conditions of anything you have been granted and make sure you don’t run afoul of any no matter how minute point