Key points
- Policies raise concerns among foreign governments
- Possessing valid travel documents does not guarantee entry to the US: advisory
- Updated guidance follows a series of detainments involving European travellers
ISLAMABAD: Germany has updated its travel advisory for the United States after several German citizens were detained and deported at US border crossings, some reporting traumatic experiences.
The move comes amid increasingly strict immigration enforcement under the administration of US President Donald Trump, whose policies have raised concerns among foreign governments and human rights groups.
The United Kingdom has also updated travel advisories to warn citizens that a visa or ESTA authorisation does not guarantee entry into the US, according to USA Today.
The updated guidance follows a series of detainments involving European travellers who were denied entry at US borders – some even arrested or held in detention before being sent home. Among the incidents, two German nationals were stopped at the southern border earlier this week, the American news outlet said.
Entry denied
The warnings follow reports of European travellers being detained or denied entry at US borders, despite holding valid travel documents.
Advice for travellers now also warns that possessing an electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) document – the automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the US under the visa waiver programme – does not automatically guarantee entry into the US, according to Euronews.
“Final decision”
“The final decision on whether a person can enter the United States rests with the American border authorities. But this is no surprise; it is the same in Germany,” a ministry spokesperson told German daily Der Spiegel.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it is investigating one of the cases and has involved its consulate in Boston to assist one of the individuals still affected.
The advisory stressed that false information, past criminal records, or even minor overstays on previous trips could lead to arrest, deportation, or detention – with no legal recourse.
