A woman shared her distressing experience on Reddit about being deported from the United States along with a friend. Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he has maintained a strict approach to illegal immigration, which has led to numerous travelers recounting unsettling experiences during their attempts to enter the country.
A 19-year-old detailed on social media how she and her 18-year-old friend were sent back from the US as they embarked on a global backpacking journey. The women, both from Germany, were shocked by their treatment due to what seemed to be flexible travel arrangements.
According to the German news outlet Ostee-Zeitung, Charlotte Pohl and Maria Lepere arrived in Honolulu with plans to explore the area before heading to California and Costa Rica. They had not secured accommodation for the entirety of their five-week stay in Hawaii, which drew attention from Customs and Border Protection officials.
In a now-deleted Reddit post, Charlotte described the situation as a warning to fellow travelers. She recounted, “We had booked only the first two nights in an Airbnb, just to be flexible with our plans, like we did in New Zealand and like many backpackers do. We had the onward ticket to the next destination in Asia but didn’t book domestic flights in the U.S. for the same reason.”
Charlotte noted that a particular comment might have led to their deportation. She explained, “They were asking us why we didn’t book more nights or domestic flights, what our plans were, how we can afford to travel and especially about work. We do sometimes small freelance jobs online (like translating or design stuff, for customers back in Germany and sometimes also Asia, not the US). We mentioned that, which was maybe the biggest mistake, it was also in the e-mail that they accessed.”
According to the US embassy and Consulates, working in the United States requires a specific nonimmigrant work visa, and one cannot work on a visitor or business visa, nor under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The two women had an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), which permits a stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business purposes. However, they were suspected of intending to work illegally, resulting in them being handcuffed and taken to a deportation center.
After spending a night in unfavorable conditions, they were deported the next day. The ordeal was described as humiliating and frightening, which left the travelers, who saw themselves as tourists, in shock.
The incident left the women feeling ‘totally shaken,’ and they advised other backpackers to exercise caution when planning to enter the United States.