Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and ensuing detention of multiple tourists at various borders, multiple countries are now warning their citizens to be careful when traveling to the U.S.
The German Ministry issued a warning reminding citizens that neither a U.S. visa nor an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) designation can guarantee admission into the country or the absence of problems at the border. An ESTA is obtained by tourists who are coming into the U.S. for short stays.
German Ministry to citizens: ‘The final decision lies with the U.S. border authorities’
“The final decision on whether a person can enter the U.S. lies with the U.S. border authorities,” a German spokesperson said on March 19.
The warning came as German national Fabian Schmidt is currently being held at a Rhode Island detention center since being stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on March 7 while tattoo artist Jessica Brösche has spent over a month awaiting deportation at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility in San Diego. While Brösche was suspected of planning to work illegally when crossing the border from Mexico, Schmidt had a valid green card and has been living in the U.S. since 2008.
Family who had been in contact with Schmidt during his detention said that he was “violently interrogated” for hours, stripped naked and put in a cold shower by two officials questioning his intentions upon entering the U.S.
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While the German Ministry stopped short of calling the new guidance an official travel warning, it reminded citizens to be mindful of the uncertainty and rapidly shifting nature of Trump’s immigration policies.
“A criminal conviction in the United States, false information regarding the purpose of stay, or even a slight overstay of the visa upon entry or exit can lead to arrest, detention, and deportation upon entry or exit,” the ministry’s page for travel to the U.S. now explicitly states.
Amid Trump’s repeated references to Canada as “the 51st state” and new requirements that Canadians driving in register in an online portal that is yet to launch, Global Affairs Canada also warned Canadians traveling to the U.S. to familiarize themselves with any updates to immigration rules before travel.
Mexico is one of several nations to issue new guidance for citizens traveling to the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Image source: Shutterstock
Canada to citizens: ‘The decision to travel is sole responsibility of the traveler’
“Each country decides who enters its borders,” Global Affairs Canada said in statement. “The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller.”
While its warning was focused on the measles outbreak in certain parts of Texas and other southern states, the Mexican government also issued new guidance for citizens going to the U.S. in February.
“Before traveling, make sure you have your complete vaccination schedule,” the Mexican government advisory reads. “[The] risk level of contracting measles is medium for people who go to Texas.”
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The Mexican government further told citizens to avoid travel to states with an outbreak, in particular if they have not been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine, which in most countries is given to all children during their early years of life if one’s parents have not opted one out of it.
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