"Book Accommodation Before Traveling to the US"... Why German Teenagers Were Deported from Hawaii

Hawaiian Media Suspects "Intent to Work Illegally"
Claims of Detention in Green Prison Uniform

Two German teenagers traveling the world were denied entry to the United States in Hawaii because they had not reserved a hotel for their stay. On April 21 (local time), the UK’s Independent reported that the two were detained by immigration officers on suspicion of having “dubious” travel intentions before being deported. According to Germany’s Ostsee Zeitung, Charlotte Pohl (19) and Maria Lepere (18), both from Rostock, about 244 kilometers north of Berlin, began their trip around the world after graduating from high school.

Two German teenagers traveling the world were denied entry to the United States in Hawaii for not having a hotel reservation, and were detained by immigration officers on suspicion of dubious travel intentions before being deported. Reddit

The two arrived in Honolulu on March 18 after traveling through New Zealand and Thailand. They had obtained Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval for travel to the United States in advance, but were still denied entry. Pohl and Lepere were interrogated for several hours at Honolulu International Airport, and were subjected to body scans and strip searches. However, US Customs and Border Protection notified them of their denial of entry and deportation.

Hawaiian media outlet “Beat of Hawaii” reported, “CBP officers became suspicious of illegal employment intentions after learning that the two German teenagers planned to stay in Hawaii for five weeks without having booked any accommodation.” Pohl said, “They probably thought it was suspicious that we hadn’t reserved a place to stay for five weeks in Hawaii, but we just wanted to travel spontaneously, as we had done in Thailand and New Zealand.” Lepere also said, “It all felt like a dream. We already knew what was happening in the US, but we never thought something like this would happen to German citizens. We were very naive and felt powerless.”

The two claimed that they were handcuffed, dressed in green prison uniforms, and held in a detention cell where they spent the night on a moldy mattress. After being denied entry, they were returned to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs on March 19. According to Ostsee Zeitung, three days after their arrest, they returned to Rostock via Tokyo, Qatar, and Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, a German government official told the Washington Examiner that the German government is in “close contact” with the US government regarding this incident. In addition, the German government is also investigating other recent cases of German citizens being arrested or deported while entering the United States. Since the start of the Donald Trump administration, there have been a series of cases in Germany where people with valid documents were denied entry or arrested in the United States. Among them, one was a US permanent resident. Germany has recently advised its citizens planning to visit the United States to be prepared for questioning at the border.