The UK and Germany have issued "travel warnings" for passengers headed to the United States due to an increase in recent detentions and deportations of foreign visitors.
Media reports said on Thursday that the British and German governments had updated their travel advice for passengers seeking to enter the US with fresh warnings about the risks of being arrested or deported from the country.
The British Foreign Office’s website advised British travelers headed to the US to fully “comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry.”
“The authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules,” it warned.
In a similar move, Germany updated its US travel advisory to emphasize that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry to the United States.
The German Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that it was aware of at least three cases of Germans being unable to enter the US, saying their “journey was blocked by deportation detention.”
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday, “The final decision on whether a person can enter the US lies with the US border authorities.”
Earlier this month, Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian actress who worked in the US was trying to enter the country from the Mexican border when she was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“I was reapplying for my work visa and with no warning about what was about to happen, I was taken by ICE,” Mooney told an ABC News 10 San Diego reporter from the detention center where she was being held.
Jasmine's mother, Alexis Eagles, told Global News that her daughter was put on a fight to Vancouver after being incarcerated for 12 days in "brutal and inhumane conditions."
Ottawa also updated its travel advisory, warning Canadians of “strict” enforcement of entry requirements, reminding travelers headed to the US from Canada that a visa or other permit does not guarantee entry to the United States.
A French scientist was denied entry into the US earlier this month after immigration officials found text messages on his phone criticizing Trump.
The French scientist, who has not been named, was on his way to a conference in Houston, Texas when the immigration agents pulled him aside and searched his work computer and phone, the French newspaper Le Monde reported.
They reportedly said the "hateful" messages on his phone criticizing Trump's mistreatment of scientists and researchers “could be considered to be terrorism,” according to French media. The scientist was then deported.
Similarly, there have been many reports of seemingly unwarranted detentions and deportations at the US border. Since taking office in January, Trump has announced a number of immigration-related executive orders that focus on stricter border policy, tighter visa vetting procedures and a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the US.
