They did not send them to El Salvador btw, they’re back in Germany now.
But the description of how they were treated is still harrowing:
Pohl and Lepère were interrogated in Honolulu International Airport for hours and allegedly subjected to body scans and strip searches before, finally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents denied them entry to the country and said they would be deported, according to the outlet.
Officials became suspicious of potential illegal work intentions after learning the teens had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii
So everytime I travel I’m a potential terrorist? That’s what (many) backpackers do you dumbasses.
The women said they were placed in a holding cell beside some other detainees who were accused of serious crimes. The teens alleged they spent the night on moldy mattresses in a freezing double cell.
On March 19, the young travelers were allegedly taken back to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs, where they requested to be sent to Tokyo, Japan.
Now imagine how much worse it is for all those so-called “illegals”, and still how much worse when they get to El Salvador.
It’s not entirely unwarranted, they WERE planning to work on a tourist-visa, which specifically and clearly not allowed in pretty much any country.
The horrible treatment is, of course, completely unwarranted, but denying entry isn’t.
It’s not entirely unwarranted, they WERE planning to work on a tourist-visa
[citation needed]
They said they wanted to travel spontaneously. That is, they had their first hotel booked, then would’ve booked another hotel, or left the states early.
Maybe Americans just don’t understand travel that’s not an organised five-day trip.
Where did you get that information? Because all it said in the article was:
Officials became suspicious of potential illegal work intentions after learning the teens had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii,
How not booking hotels for their entire trip equates to “potential work intentions” escapes me. If you were planning on working for five weeks, wouldn’t you book a hotel near where you were planning to work? Was there a job lined up? Are we supposed to believe that in the middle of a round-the-world graduation trip, these girls wanted to spend 5 weeks working?
Alternate explanations:
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the “work” they were doing was shooting video of their adventures and posting it on YouTube in the hopes of establishing a career as travel influencers, so they can travel the world for a living. Basically, this trip was an investment in their future.
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border agents got pissed off and jealous of two rich girls traveling the world, and decided to fuck with them
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the girls became indignant at being treated like common illegal immigrants, and mouthed off, and agents decided to teach them a lesson.
Frankly, the real story is probably a combination of all three.
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Everyone who is going to USA for vacation is an idiot.
It seems like a bit of a stretch to frame two teenagers wishing to go island-hopping as part of their post-graduation world trip as “intending to work” 😜
Deportation appears to be about as appropriate here as sending the SWAT team after someone who dropped a candy wrapper.
It seems like themselves admitted that they intended to work?
Work for their foreign clients with foreign companies. Remote work. While they were backpacking.
Still Tax fraud and visa fraud. Works like this in most countries.
Not that I agree with these extreme measures. Most of Europe doesn’t care but still: as ilegal in the US as it would be if an American tourist did the same in Germany.
Like if I work for Intel and I’m on travel visa, I can’t answer some emails or do a zoom meet with my team for updates or something?
No, you can’t. Simple as that. Same with helping someone carry some boxes because you’re just a cool dude.
I don’t make the rules, I only know them 😅