Two German teenagers, 19-year-old Charlotte Pohl and 18-year-old Maria Lepère, were unexpectedly detained and deported by Customs and Border Control (CBP) officers upon their arrival in the United States for failing to provide hotel reservations.
Hailing from Rostock, a charming city on Germany’s north coast, the duo embarked on a spontaneous world tour after graduating high school. Their adventurous spirit led them through various destinations, including New Zealand and Thailand, where they encountered no issues.
Their journey brought them to Hawaii on March 18, where they had scheduled a five-week exploration of the islands before heading to California. However, what they assumed would be a carefree adventure took a distressing turn when they were grilled for hours by CBP officers at the airport due to their lack of pre-booked accommodations.
Despite possessing all necessary travel documents, Pohl and Lepère were caught off guard by the harsh immigration enforcement they faced upon entering the United States. The CBP agents expressed skepticism about their travel plans, especially since they had not fully booked their lodging for the duration of their stay.
In their own words, Pohl reflected on the experience, stating, “They found it suspicious that we hadn’t fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii.”
The two friends acknowledged the recent travel advisory issued by the German government, urging caution for citizens visiting the U.S. due to new immigration laws.
Lepère described their experience as surreal: “It was all like a fever dream. We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the U.S. But at the time, we didn’t think it was happening to Germans. That was perhaps very naive.”
The advisory warned that travelers risk detention or deportation if their visas and travel documents were mismanaged, a reality the teenagers did not anticipate facing. As the interrogation progressed, CBP considered their travel behavior suspicious.
Following hours of questioning, full-body scans, and strip searches, the CBP agents claimed Pohl and Lepère violated their travel visas, concluding they attempted to enter the U.S. under false pretenses.
CBP officials stated, “These travelers were denied entry after attempting to enter the US under false pretenses. One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program.”
The agents alleged that both teenagers had initially expressed intentions of touring California but later claimed they aimed to work, which is forbidden under the terms of their visas.
The teenagers adamantly refuted these claims, asserting that their words were misconstrued during interrogation. Their accounts included accusations of CBP agents coercing them to admit to plans of working in the United States, an assertion they staunchly denied.
What followed was an overnight stay in a detention center resembling a prison, where the girls faced degrading conditions. They reported being issued green prison uniforms and confined with serious offenders.
Describing their time there, Pohl recounted the discomfort:
image source from：https://www.thetravel.com/teenage-german-tourists-deported-after-arriving-in-us-without-hotel-reservations-as-part-of-their-spontaneous-world-tour/
