Three travelers and a long-term U.S. citizen claim they endured harsh questioning and were detained for several weeks without understanding the reason. In response, the German government has even extended a travel warning to its nationals.

U.S. immigration authorities are often described as forceful, sometimes confrontational, when conducting standard passport verifications along America’s frontiers. Nonetheless, individuals from the European Union theoretically have permission to enter the United States without a visa for up to 90 days, assuming they complete an ESTA application and successfully undergo associated security screenings.

So why have Four Germans have been arrested. for extended periods by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) starting from early 2025?

Permanent resident held indefinitely

“I feel utterly powerless,” Astrid Senior stated to the local press in Boston following her son Fabian Schmidt’s detention at Logan Airport on March 7. Both Senior and Schmidt are not visitors but Green Card holders—lawful permanent residents of the U.S.—who have resided in the nation since 2007.

Schmidt, who is 34 years old, was questioned for an extended period, according to his mother, upon his return from a trip to Germany. He was informed only that his Green Card had raised some concerns.

She mentioned that he experienced sleep, food, and water deprivation, along with having his anxiety medication stopped. This led to such a severe decline in his health that he needed to be admitted to a nearby hospital.

Although ICE verified the hospital visit, they informed U.S. media that they couldn't provide additional details about the case due to legal constraints. Schmidt's attorney, David Keller, stated in press releases that neither he nor his client have been made aware of the reason for his detention.

The senior mentioned during an interview with Boston’s public radio station WBUR that her son had previously encountered legal troubles, such as an older DUI offense and a marijuana possession charge. However, these incidents were not recent. The cannabis charge was dismissed following the legalization of the substance in California, where the event took place. Despite this, he missed a court date for the case in 2022 because officials neglected to send the notification to his updated address in New Hampshire.

"Fabian told me that he experiences intense fear," Senior mentioned about her son, an electrical engineer with a longstanding partner and an 8-year-old child. She also noted that Schmidt faced pressure to relinquish his Green Card, though he refused. Currently, Schmidt is held at an immigration detention center in Rhode Island, drawing attention from several activists and supporters who have started rallying there against his detainment.

Tourists detained for weeks

Lucas Sielaff, a 25-year-old resident of Bad Bibra in eastern Germany, informed Dصند er Spiegel a magazine featured a comparable distressing account from earlier this month; however, he was freed after two weeks and sent back to Germany.

"I was angry, sad, and afraid," Sielaff told the outlet, describing what happened during a trip to visit his American fiancée, who lives in Nevada, one of many he has taken in recent years. The pair decided to take her sick dog to a veterinarian in Mexico, where appointments are easier to get. Sielaff described a tense interrogation at the border On his return journey, he mentioned that he believed the border patrol officer thought he was residing illegally in the U.S., attempting to evade the 90-day rule by making a brief exit from the country.

Sielaff stated that he was handcuffed around his midsection and ankles before being transported to an ICE detention facility in California, where he was placed in a cell shared with 128 other men. Two weeks later, having received no information regarding his case during this time, he was boarded onto a plane headed for Munich on March 6th.

His situation mirrored that of Jessica Börsche, a Berlin-based tattoo artist who spent two weeks in ICE custody earlier this year. On January 15, as she attempted to enter the United States from Mexico, an official claimed they discovered tattoo tools in her luggage and believed she intended to work unlawfully in America. After six weeks of detainment, she was sent back to Germany.

Celine Flad, a 22-year-old from Germany, encountered difficulties with an ambiguous border issue when attempting to travel for vacation to New York and Miami. The university student shared her experience: Der Spiegel Even though she possessed a legitimate passport and had obtained an ESTA waiver, she was informed about an issue with her travel document. For a full day, she was detained and frequently questioned regarding her intentions of entering the United States. Flad also mentioned that the authorities confiscated her smartphone and went through all her photographs.

Even though she presented her hotel reservations in New York, Miami, along with her flight tickets to Cancun, Mexico, she was informed that she would be returned to Germany without delay. The reason for this decision remained unclear to her.

Berlin issues travel advisory

The four Germans are not alone as tourists and U.S. residents have also found themselves ensnared in Kafkaesque situations involving ICE since U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his efforts against immigration. Trump attempted to use an 18th-century statute to jail additional immigrants, though this action was invalidated by a court ruling.

Individuals visiting the U.S. without needing a visa, such as those coming from Canada or France, have also shared comparable experiences when crossing into the country’s borders.

The circumstances have reached such a stage that the German Foreign Ministry has provided guidance to its citizens intending to travel to the United States, emphasizing that possessing a U.S. visa or entry waiver does not ensure admission for Germans.

Regarding Schmidt's situation, the ministry stated that they were "monitoring" it closely.

Edited by: Ben Knight

Author: Elizabeth Schumacher