19-year old german girl's entry into US refused

[Catfish]

.. a 19-year-old is sent back from the USA with a valid visum, without being given a reason. Fingerprints taken, treated like a criminal. She just wanted to visit relatives, and it is not the first time such things happen, probably because of a facebook entry .. in which she offers to look after her cousin's children.
Link in german (http://www.fr-online.de/politik/usa--im-land-der-begrenzten-freundlichkeit,1472596,31367494.html)
another Link in german (http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article144819484/19-Jaehrige-darf-wegen-Facebook-Chats-nicht-einreisen.html)
We all know that all in the Internet is being read and all talks eavesdropped by the "five eyes" and others, but this is getting ridiculous now. George Orwell was a hopeless optimist with his "1984", but then he could not foresee technology.. and how people underestimate surveillance.

And then I guess i will not be able to ever travel to the US, with what i write here :huh:

[Wolferz]

Just don't say anything about taking care of somebody's kids and you should be good.:up::D

Kind of odd that they would do that when we have a flood pouring across the southern border and they choose to plug the equivalent of a drip.:nope:
They shame us all on a daily basis.
The government is a monster and it will not obey.
~Steppenwolf~

[Catfish]

Just don't say anything about taking care of somebody's kids and you should be good.:up::D

lol :)


The government is a monster and it will not obey.
~Steppenwolf~

Amen to that.
And Steppenwolf is :cool:

[Kip336]

And then I guess i will not be able to ever travel to the US, with what i write here :huh:

So, when can we expect the SWAT team on our doorstep to take me down? Most people post so much crap on the internet, they'd likely have higher profile files then Bin Laden himself had :P

[CCIP]

I have enough of a record of being in the US that they don't give me much trouble anymore (I probably cross the border 5-6 times and spend a month in the US every year on average), and overall I have to say that US customs have got a lot more reasonable over the last few years. But I remember a few years ago when me and my friend decided to take the Greyhound across the border for a wedding, and we were crossing the border in Detroit at 3am, and my friend (a white, middle-class schoolteacher who also has a long record of being in the US and one American parent) got yelled at for being a liar, because he mis-heard one of the questions he was asked (not hard when it's 3am and you've been on the bus all night) and then, like a true Canadian, tried to laugh it off in a self-deprecating way, and the customs lady was like "THAT'S NOT FUNNY SIR, NOW I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYTHING THAT YOU SAY TO ME".

They still let us through in the end, though. Lucky us for being white (and yes, another acquaintance of mine was once non-chalantly told by a customs agent that she's basically off the hook because she's a white woman and couldn't possibly be a security risk). I've never been stopped for a "random search" in my life (knock on wood), yet my dad - who's a big, bearded guy with a heavy Russian accent - probably gets "randomly" selected every 3rd time he crosses the border. But no-one quite gets the looks like some of my colleagues from Iran - eyebrows go WAY up the moment they take out an Iranian passport, and then promptly go back down if the Iranian in question happens to be Baha'i ("phew, at least you're not a Muslim, right?")

At the moment, I'd have to say US customs is ridiculously racist, but I guess white girls aren't safe from it either - it just seems like there's a lot of types working there who seem to have no idea how human people actually work :hmm2:

I've seen some improvements though, like I said, and conversely, I've seen pretty brash reactions from Canadian customs too (although lately, it seems the Canadian customs just don't want to talk to me - last two times I travelled, they didn't even say a word and just waved me right through, which I was okay with!)

[ikalugin]

I got a number of random searches in the UK, as I was a single young male with a big bag.

There is also a cool story regarding one of my friends. You see, when he was visiting US he was wearing a large beard, it was anniversary of 9/11 and his passport had Pakistanian stamps showing his presense there just before US invasion of Afghanistan.

So the border control officer began asking him questions, such as - did you visit Afghanistan? Did you see arms/drug related infrastructure there? Sensing a quick promotion/medal for aprehending dangerous terroritsts he has asked the final questions - why was my friend visiting the US.
The answer ruined the officer's expectations, as this evill bearded terrorist was there to have breakfast with secretary of state.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

.. a 19-year-old is sent back from the USA with a valid visum, without being given a reason. Fingerprints taken, treated like a criminal. She just wanted to visit relatives, and it is not the first time such things happen, probably because of a facebook entry .. in which she offers to look after her cousin's children.
Link in german (http://www.fr-online.de/politik/usa--im-land-der-begrenzten-freundlichkeit,1472596,31367494.html)
another Link in german (http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article144819484/19-Jaehrige-darf-wegen-Facebook-Chats-nicht-einreisen.html)
We all know that all in the Internet is being read and all talks eavesdropped by the "five eyes" and others, but this is getting ridiculous now. George Orwell was a hopeless optimist with his "1984", but then he could not foresee technology.. and how people underestimate surveillance.

And then I guess i will not be able to ever travel to the US, with what i write here :huh:

Interestingly, here are some Germans that actually defend the American action (check the comment thread):
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/medien/deutsche-bei-passkontrolle-abgewiesen-usa-verweigern-19-jaehriger-einreise-wegen-facebook-chat/12146874.html

[August]

My Aunt and Cousin visited us from Germany just last November and they had no problems at all getting through customs.

Maybe it's just people who know Catfish? :hmmm:

[NeonSamurai]

It sounds like she may have been planning to work for her cousin by caring for the cousin's children. Working on a visitor permit is a huge no-no, and will swiftly have you sent back if they find any evidence.

Something to be aware of is that most customs agencies now search electronic devices in your possession. They will insist on inspecting them and can turn you away if you refuse. This includes cell phones, computers, cameras, mp3 players, anything that can hold data. As most people have Facebook set up on their smart phones, they will take a look at your Facebook page too to see what you have been posting to friends about your trip. The also check messaging software and texts, and sometimes look for pirated material or pornography (child porn in particular obviously), even internet browsing history.

Personally I always traveled with a clean laptop, and a heavily encrypted external drive that looked like it was unformatted. The encrypted drive contained HIPPA protected client data, so there wasn't a chance in heck I was going to let some customs guard go through it. A lot of corporations also do the same when traveling, and keep backups on a secure file server for management to restore their computers after crossing the boarder.

Me I've never had much problems with the US boarder guards, generally they have all been really nice and helpful to me, but then I was a older white male holding a student visa. Canadian border guards, on the other hand tended to be more of a pain in the butt, though after multiple trips they generally tended to wave me through fairly quickly. I've had American friends tell me the exact opposite where the Canadian guards were very friendly, and the US guards very rude and short tempered. Maybe we just like being jerks to our own. :O:

[Oberon]

Maybe it's just people who know Catfish? :hmmm:

Nah, it's the Justice Secretaries attempt to distract the public from the current Netzpolitik scandal (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33772316).

[Aktungbby]

I was in charge of the lobby at Immigration on Sansome Street in San Francisco in my time and saw it all! in addition to getting pulled aside at all British airports (in a coat and tie) on my last outing for a secondary inspection with thumbprint as my wife and daughter stood by looking puzzled. Having thus been on the giving and receiving end : business as usual. Of course no respectable Fraulein would be going to Cleveland!:03: Any sharp eyed immigration official would pick up this: "The reproach of the gruff officer are absurd. "I have children her age who are already working," says the COP and a little later: "If you had wanted to do to New York City, it would have been so believable, but hell what do you want in Cleveland?" Assuming my translator is correct:shucks:...even though my old German girlfriend lived just over the line in '70's Seymour, Indiana:hmmm: If he thought she was an undocumented Aupair, as with my neighbor across the street, originally from Hamburg, who (properly IMHO:up:) does import young lasses to tend her two young daughters, it's unfortunately understandable.

[Betonov]

It sounds like she may have been planning to work for her cousin by caring for the cousin's children. Working on a visitor permit is a huge no-no, and will swiftly have you sent back if they find any evidence.




That makes too much sense

[Platapus]

What are the chances we don't know all the facts about this case?

[Oberon]

What are the chances we don't know all the facts about this case?

Now don't go bringing facts into this... :nope:

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

It sounds like she may have been planning to work for her cousin by caring for the cousin's children. Working on a visitor permit is a huge no-no, and will swiftly have you sent back if they find any evidence.

From what Google Translate can make of the German, she did mention something about taking care of children on Facebook, but no mention of payment. And the issue is more like what's all the hostility even before the Facebook - did NSA or something else scan it beforehand and give a heads-up?

Even if that's the issue, that's merely a technicality. Merely ask to see the page, find the page, explain nicely that you can't, sorry, deny the Visa politely but firmly and send her back, without the crudity. Please.

[Sailor Steve]

What are the chances we don't know all the facts about this case?
About the same as the chances we don't know all the facts about everything that gets discussed here. :sunny:

[Wolferz]

Nah, she was a drug mule bringing in that good German smack.:03::O:

[Jimbuna]

What are the chances we don't know all the facts about this case?

Probably the most believable fact on the whole topic.

[Mr Quatro]

What are the chances we don't know all the facts about this case?

“We don’t know one millionenth of one percent about anything.” Thomas Edison

[Catfish]

What we know is quite simple and evident, and there is no need to whitewash or sugarcoat it.

Everything on the net is being read, and those spying eyes pass the information on to all kinds of organisations.

So you better look out what you say or write, because we know that all kinds of things happen to people, even if there is no evidence at all for any wongdoing.
(You probably also know that people abroad are killed with drones by self-appointed judges through interpretation of metadata like certain behaviour schemes alone, not evidence. Just saying the truth or being an average citizen with no terroristic background does not help you)

Anyone remembers Neal's site was banned for Google adverts, because they found the word esc0rt serv!ce somewhere in this forum. Harmless, of course.

Apart from that, the way this woman was treated and threatened, beggars all description. When asking whether she would be allowed to sleep a bit before taking the next plane home (after 18 hours of flight and 24 more hours of harsh interrogation) the answer was "Yes, in jail".

[NeonSamurai]

They either searched for her profile on Facebook (not uncommon if the officer is suspicious). That or they searched her phone (also very common now). Even though there was no mention of payment, just speaking of doing work that could entail payment can be enough.

I can't speak about how she was treated, as I can't read German well and haven't seen anything in English about it. It does sound though like they did treat her very poorly. Also they should have to explain why they did what they did.

[mapuc]

This is a story from the beginning of the 80s

My elder sisters boyfriend who was a German had made some travel to East Germany and even Russia, if I remember correctly.

Some years later they toke a vacation trip to USA(New York)

When the border Police toke a look at the boyfriends passport, they went totally berserk

He was under interrogation some hours.

All the time he kept on saying-It is in my job to travel we have a contract with Companies in East Germany and Russia.

Sorry for this off topic story

Markus

[August]

This is a story from the beginning of the 80s

My elder sisters boyfriend who was a German had made some travel to East Germany and even Russia, if I remember correctly.

Some years later they toke a vacation trip to USA(New York)

When the border Police toke a look at the boyfriends passport, they went totally berserk

He was under interrogation some hours.

All the time he kept on saying-It is in my job to travel we have a contract with Companies in East Germany and Russia.

Sorry for this off topic story

Markus

I guess you have never heard of the famous KGB assassin known only as "The Dane"... :D

[Stealhead]

Being a German fearing American I'd absolutely refuse a nineteen year old German woman entry. She was probably going to spread German humour in the homeland.

[August]

Yeah next thing you know our women shop shaving their armpits and start bossing everyone around. The horror! :o :)

[Schroeder]

Being a German fearing American I'd absolutely refuse a nineteen year old German woman entry. She was probably going to spread German humour in the homeland.
You can't fight what you can't see and you can't spread what doesn't exist. You argument therefore is invalid.:hmph:

[mapuc]

I guess you have never heard of the famous KGB assassin known only as "The Dane"... :D


To stay off topic

Yes my sister is a Danish citizen, but her boyfriend, who was under interrogation because of some stamp in his passport-stamp with words like DDR and possibly Soviet, is a genuine German citizen

Today we know why.(NO he was not a KGB-spy or something)

Markus

[Mr Quatro]

Maybe her sauer was kraut ... :woot:

[Jeff-Groves]

Can't let a 19 year old German Girl in the U.S.A.
All the 19 year old spaces are filled by Mexicains.
:hmmm:

[Catfish]

Maybe her sauer was kraut ... :woot:

I don't think so, she was only nineteen.. :D

[Catfish]

Ah i forgot, according to Mr. Trump all Mexicans are rapists :dead:

[Platapus]

Maybe her sauer was kraut ... :woot:

Brilliant! No matter which order the words are used, it is still funny.. and practically dirty. :haha::haha:

[Eichhörnchen]

I'm sorry to blunder in here: I thought it said "US 19 year-old's entry into German girl refused" :O:

[August]

No German girl ever refused me when I was 19, just sayin... :)

[Bilge_Rat]

you have a lot of these horror stories. This one was a classic. An Italian who goes to the U.S. to visit his girlfriend and winds up spending 10 days in jail:


He was a carefree Italian with a recent law degree from a Roman university. She was “a totally Virginia girl,” as she puts it, raised across the road from George Washington’s home. Their romance, sparked by a 2006 meeting in a supermarket in Rome, soon brought the Italian, Domenico Salerno, on frequent visits to Alexandria, Va., where he was welcomed like a favorite son by the parents and neighbors of his girlfriend, Caitlin Cooper.

But on April 29, when Mr. Salerno, 35, presented his passport at Washington Dulles International Airport, a Customs and Border Protection (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/c/customs_and_border_protection_bureau/index.html?inline=nyt-org) agent refused to let him into the United States. And after hours of questioning, agents would not let him travel back to Rome, either; over his protests in fractured English, he said, they insisted that he had expressed a fear of returning to Italy and had asked for asylum.

Ms. Cooper, 23, who had promised to show her boyfriend another side of her country on this visit — meaning Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon — eventually learned that he had been sent in shackles to a rural Virginia jail. And there he remained for more than 10 days, locked up without charges or legal recourse while Ms. Cooper, her parents and their well-connected neighbors tried everything to get him out.



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/us/14visa.html?_r=0

[goodpoints]

George Orwell was a hopeless optimist with his "1984", but then he could not foresee technology.. and how people underestimate surveillance.

George Orwell couldn't foresee an exceedingly complex/deep rooted socio-geo-religio-political civil war being anything other than the latest stage for the international battle between Captain Democracy and his arch nemesis Barón Totalitarismo if it hit him in the throat.

[Platapus]

No German girl ever refused me when I was 19, just sayin... :)


Yeah, but did you ever meet them before payday?

(rimshot) :D

[August]

Yeah, but did you ever meet them before payday?

(rimshot) :D

:)

Of course not. No woman regardless of nationality allows herself to be taken on a date by a guy with no money in his pocket and few people are more broke than a Private a week before payday. :yep:

[Onkel Neal]

Anyone remembers Neal's site was banned for Google adverts, because they found the word esc0rt serv!ce somewhere in this forum. Harmless, of course.



Why did you have to remind me!? :/\\!! I'm still crying over that! :huh:

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.:woot: j/k