Concerns are mounting over recent incidents where foreign tourists have been detained for weeks at U.S. border crossings, raising fears about the unpredictability of travel to America. Several cases have emerged, involving travelers from Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, who were held in U.S. immigration detention centers despite having valid travel permits.
One of the most alarming cases involves German tourist Lucas Sielaff, who entered the U.S. legally under a 90-day visa-free travel program. During a short trip to Mexico with his fiancée, Lennon Tyler, a U.S. citizen, the couple was stopped upon re-entering the U.S. at the Tijuana border. Border agents aggressively questioned Sielaff, accused him of living illegally in the U.S., and detained him for 16 days in an immigration facility before forcing him to buy a $2,744 ticket back to Germany. Tyler, meanwhile, was also handcuffed and chained to a bench for several hours before being released, left with no information about her fiancé’s whereabouts.
This case is not isolated. Another German traveler, Jessica Brösche, was detained at the same border crossing for over six weeks, including more than a week in solitary confinement. A Welsh backpacker was held for nearly three weeks at a detention center near the Canadian border, and a Canadian actress on a U.S. work visa spent 12 days in detention before being released.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has stated that the detained travelers were “deemed inadmissible,” but critics argue that these prolonged detentions are excessive and unjustified. Pedro Rios, a migrant rights advocate, noted that in his 22 years of work at the border, he has never seen tourists from Western countries detained in this manner, calling it an “unprecedented abuse of power.”
The detentions come amid growing concerns over the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have led to increased arrests and deportations. Some travelers are now reconsidering visiting the U.S., fearing they could be subjected to arbitrary detention. Tyler plans to sue the U.S. government over the ordeal, while Sielaff, now suffering from nightmares, is considering therapy. With these incidents becoming more frequent, anxiety is growing among international visitors, with some now questioning whether it is safe to travel to the U.S.
