4w ago

Germany updates US travel advice after citizens detained

www.dw.com

Germany updates US travel advice after citizens detained – DW – 03/20/2025

Summary

Germany updated its travel advice for the US after three German nationals were detained despite holding valid visas or entry waivers.

The Foreign Office clarified that holding a US visa or ESTA approval does not guarantee entry, as border authorities have the final say.

Recent detentions include a green card holder held at Boston airport and two others detained at the US-Mexico border.

Germany investigates whether these cases reflect a broader policy shift under Trump’s tighter immigration policies.

50 comments

I don't fucking understand why they'd rather detain and deport people than just reject them at the border.
Yes, the for-profit prison companies are making money imprisoning people, but the government is the one spending it. It doesn't make sense.
- Depends on who is buddy with who. If the government money ends up in the right pockets in the end, all players are happy.
  Well, except tax payers but they are the peasants in the kingdom.
- The government is taking tax money from citizens and giving it to the oligarchs running the for-profit prisons.
  The only part of that that doesn't make sense is the citizens voting for it.
  
  The only part of that that doesn't make sense is the citizens voting for it.
  Racism. These policies are generally put forth with an implied wink and nudge that this will be used to target minorities. Unfortunately, they consider anyone outside of their tiny class and brainless minions to be a possible minority.
- You're assuming a single rational actor. The current US government is neither rational nor unified in policy. Whether someone gets in or not is down to the whims of individual ICE agents and whether they're detained or not is down to the whims of individual ICE agents, so you get one reasonable guy who says "sure, come on in", and then you get one xenophobe who says "need to get all these damn foreigners out of our country" and then you have this situation.
  Normally you have a sane leadership setting and enforcing uniform policies. The current leadership is entirely focused on generating sound bites and demolishing everything within reach. Thus individual agents have been handed almost complete authority with almost no oversight.
  
  Wow, that's really scary. I wonder if my government will put out travel warnings urging Canadians to stay away, we've already had a deportation story make the news and the details are harrowing.
- The purpose of the Trump Government is to distribute tax dollars to their donors. Spending is only wasteful when a non-white, non-rich person would profit .
  
  non-white, non-rich person
  And for those wondering, that's definitely an "AND" filter and not an "OR" filter. Lol
- I've been wondering that too. Why not just say "nope" and have them take a plane home?
  
  But then how do you make them suffer if they leave?
  
  The detention centers are private and run by large corps, which receive taxpayer money for every person detained. They're detaining people because they get paid to do so!
- Because the US needs them. They need the cheap labour, they need immigrants, and keeping them "illegal" makes it easy to abuse them. If they deported all of them, or let them become citizens, the economy of Texas would probably collapse as there wouldn't be a constant stream of people who can't take advantage of even the weak labour laws of the US.

the republicans have the seats they need to impeach this guy and throw him out. they can do it any time they want.
- The cancer is Americas entire political and corporate oligarchy, and its terminal.
  Remove Trump and there is still his fascist admin, as well as hundreds of other politicians and a supreme court, staffed by the criminally corrupt who sell their souls to the highest bidder.
  
  if they worried about their seats because republican voters all started jerking off at the same time, maybe they would at least pretend
- they can do it any time they want.
  With a toothless Judicial and weak legislative? Honestly, who's giving the order to whom to have this guy removed if they impeach him, and how do they enforce it?
  
  If Congress actually removed the guy they could easily get the military to enforce it.

As a dual EU/US citizen, I cannot get over how fucking dumb this whole thing is.
- As a US citizen, I can't get over how envious I am of your EU citizenship.
  
  For those looking to emigrate away, just remember that you're not expected to pay US Taxes as a resident of another nation under several very specific circumstances such as spending 330 full days during any period of 12 consecutive months in a foreign country, but you may otherwise be expected to.
  One method to avoid the attention of the IRS which might seem enticing is to renounce US Citizenship, which is intentionally not an easy task, but there are plenty of foreign earned income exemptions you could claim instead.
- As a US citizen, I cannot get over how fucking dumb this country is.
- As an American citizen I wish so badly to get citizenship somewhere else.
  
  Some countries have a grandparents rule if that's any use to you. Ireland is one.

I recently vacationed in Germany and the immigration polizei agent asked me, in English, "what's the purpose of your visit here?" and I said something like "Urlaub machen und Bier trinken, naturlich!" He applied the stamp and waved me through without incident.
So... Thanks for being cool, Germans!
- As a non-German speaker, I'm fairly sure this says: "Lubing machinery and beer drinking, naturally!"
  
  Vacationing/ Lubing machinery, those are synonyms in German xD

Just a reminder to fellow Americans even, that this crap has been going on way too long before this point. There's a rather huge area around our borders dubbed "Constitution-free zones".
Yeah, the "sworn to uphold" types are funny-quiet when it comes to "We can do whatever we want, cry about it." Within 100 miles of ANY land or coastal border.
Americans and visitors (God be with you both), might be wise to get a cheap "travel only" phone with only the bare-necessary logins and information on it, as they move about. Don't bother with your laptop if you can help it.
Don't anticipate basic encryption to do anything against this either. (Although , YES, DO ENCRYPT!)
People have been detained and coerced into unlocking their phones so agents could basically just dump the device to a drive and look through whatever they want.
(No, simply deleted files are not unreadable unless securely wiped, and evidence of wiping your phone beforehand would probably lead to more questioning.)
Within 100 miles of the border of the "land of the free", you have no say in this, and if you try to muster up the courage to resist in the "home of the brave", you'll just face further punishment.
It's unlikely you will get stopped for this purpose unless you have a certain profile-of-the-week or whatever they're looking for, but it's best to keep this in mind.
- Keep in mind, "land borders" includes any airport serving international flights, so if you're within 100miles radius of such an airport, you're technically in a constitution-free zone
  
  Woah, that's insane, thanks for adding that.
  So basically "You have these rights. . .unless you live within 100 miles of somewhere populated" basically...
- America is a sick joke.
- Border Patrol cannot search vehicles in the 100-mile zone without a warrant or "probable cause" (a reasonable belief, based on the circumstances, that an immigration violation or crime has likely occurred).
  So, hypothetically, what stops Mexico from removing ICEs rights to search at all within that 100mile zone?
  
  Isn't that zone extending inside the US rather than outside? ICE has no right to do anything outside the US, they may cooperate with local authorities, but they are effectively mall cops, aren't they?
  So ICE can abduct and rape you in NYC, but not do so in Juarez, Mexico as I understand.

Not that they owe my country any favors or anything, but given their own history I would have hoped this German government agency could do something a little stronger than "this is not a travel warning, just reminding all you plebs to listen to border guards if you don't want to be tortured"
- It's not an agency it's the ministry of foreign affairs and right now they're operating in maintenance mode as we don't have a government proper, only a caretaker government until the Bundestag constitutes itself on the 25th where a new chancellor can be elected.
  The change looks like it does because it's the kind of change a ranking civil servant can do without checking in with their minister, it's considered non-political.
  
  That is important context, thank you. I still kind of think that taking an assertive stand against what the United States is doing to Germany citizens is the kind of clear call this minister probably ought to feel empowered to make, but on the other hand I have a deep appreciation for government workers who feel their obligations to upholding democratic systems, so this is a hard call to make I suppose.
- It's the proper procedure - they have a "ranking" how they proceeded with countries that behave like that. The US currently is not quite yet in the "travel warning" area but is getting closer and closer every day (which they, despite the usual secrecy of diplomacy, told the media multiple times).
  Considering the huge ramifications a travel warning has, it's reasonable to go step by step to gradually increase pressure, ideally together with European partners.
  The formal travel warning is basically the biggest gun they have in their arsenal.
  Amongst others that would mean:
  Most travel insurance providers no longer would cover travellers. This is especially significant for business travel as then individual risk assessment need to be made. (I do the later...it's not cheap). And companies can no longer require their staff to travel to the US. So huge "risk bonuses" would be required. Even more significant for public employees and the European army personnel currently training in the US.
  Airlines would have to take additional insurance by their brokers to cover flights to and from the US. That can easily double prices for passengers and freight.
  Current trade contracts will have larger insurance costs, industrial goods and equipment that requires maintenance will have issues,etc. This is not a one way street,though,as European staff cannot be trained in the US either. Same goes for science,etc.

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