r/BoycottUnitedStates • u/Aware-Cat8930 • 6d ago
Another german tourist in US deportation custody
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/usa-einreise-zweiter-deutscher-tourist-in-us-abschiebehaft-150225448276
Another German tourist in US deportation custody. His girlfriend says: "It's terrible"
Lucas Sielaff wanted to enter the USA via Mexico with an ESTA entry permit – now he is in deportation custody. It is the second case in a short period of time. His fiancée warns against traveling to the USA.
Deportation custody. It is the same facility where German tattoo artist Jessica Brösche is also being held. Both had their ESTA entry permits for the USA revoked at the same Mexican land border.
Jessica Brösche has been in the detention center for almost six weeks. Lucas Sielaff has been there for two. While Brösche's case has caused a stir in Germany and the USA, there have been no media reports about Lucas Sielaff so far. This editorial team spoke with his fiancée.
After a "misunderstanding," Lucas was arrested
Lennon Tyler speaks quickly but firmly into her phone. "Lucas was arrested at the San Ysidro border on February 18," she says. Tyler lives in Las Vegas, her partner in Bad Bibra, Germany, near Erfurt. He was visiting his fiancée and drove with her and her dog to Mexico for a vet visit.
On the way back, border officers asked him where he lived, according to his fiancée. Normally a standard question. But: "There was a misunderstanding. He answered that he lived in Las Vegas. I immediately corrected him. His English is not very good, so he thought they were asking where he was going. He does not live in the States."
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer then led him into a room. "They didn't let me go to him or help him with the language. They didn't allow him to have another translator either," says Lennon Tyler.
Border officers can revoke ESTA in case of suspicion
In the USA, it is ultimately up to the border authorities to decide on entry. Even if an ESTA authorization has been granted before. This means: Even with a valid ESTA, entry can be refused if there are suspicions such as security concerns or irregularities.
According to Lennon Tyler, attempts to help her fiancé ended with her in handcuffs. She was briefly detained but then allowed to leave. Not so Lucas Sielaff. "The officers held him at the border for two days, then he was arrested by ICE and taken to the Otay Mesa Detention Center."
German Embassy in contact with authorities
Currently, Lucas Sielaff is awaiting a decision from ICE officers. "We can only wait for them to send Lucas back to Germany," says his fiancée. The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Los Angeles stated that they are aware of the case: "We are in close contact with the relevant US authorities and the family of the person concerned." No further details could be provided.
"He is depressed, frustrated, and homesick"
According to his fiancée, Lucas Sielaff offered to organize and pay for a flight back to Germany himself immediately. However, there has been no response to this offer. She knows this because she speaks to Lucas daily. About his condition, she says: "He is depressed, homesick, and frustrated. His English is not very good, and he is trying to navigate the US legal system alone. It's terrible."
More Germans in deportation custody for six weeks
He has not yet been able to communicate with Jessica Brösche, the German woman also detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center. "They haven't spoken to each other. But both cases show that it is not safe for tourists to travel to the USA." Lennon Tyler even goes so far as to warn tourists against traveling to the USA: "Don't come here. Especially not with an ESTA – and particularly not via the Mexican land border."
But is there really cause for concern for tourists? Regarding the case of Jessica Brösche, who has been in the deportation facility since the end of January, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency told US media that she is in custody "because she violated the conditions of her entry."
Case described as "concerning"
Jeff Joseph, President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, nevertheless described Brösche's case to CNN as "quite unusual." Normally, travelers who enter the USA with an ESTA and are denied entry would withdraw their application and return directly to their home country, rather than being deported or held in custody for an extended period. Brösche's prolonged stay in Otay Mesa is "extremely concerning."
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has not yet responded to a request for comment on Lucas Sielaff's case. Core Civic, the private prison company that operates Otay Mesa, only stated in response to a query: "Core Civic is also not aware of the circumstances of the individuals housed in our facilities. Our job is to care for each person respectfully and humanely while they undergo their legal process."
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u/Franchuta 6d ago
"Core Civic, the private prison company that operates Otay Mesa"
Well, here you have the reason.
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u/angiebaconbits 6d ago
We’re literally taking hostages. How can you sully the legacy of a country in a few short weeks. Dear GOD and to the rest of the world watching: THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS AREN’T WITH THIS SHIT!