Both the UK and Germany have issued unofficial travel warnings to anyone flying to the US after updating their information for tourists.
Current British travel advice for the United States published online by Britain’s Foreign Office now states: “You should comply with all entry, visa and other conditions of entry. The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.”
But according to Reuters, archived versions of the same website showed that at the beginning of February, the guidance had only stated: “The authorities in the U.S. set and enforce entry rules.”
It comest just a day after Germany told its citizens they are no longer guaranteed entry to the US even if they have a visa or entry waiver. The country’s Foreign Ministry has updated its travel advisory information after reports that several Germans were detained at the border. A spokesperson for Germany’s foreign ministry issued an update on travel to the US which stressed that visas no longer guarantee entry to the US for Germans.
It says on updated information on its website: “Neither a valid ESTA authorization nor a valid US visa constitutes a right to entry into the USA.
“The final decision regarding entry is made by the US border official. It is recommended that you bring proof of your return journey ( e.g., flight booking) upon entry. There is no legal recourse against this decision. German diplomatic missions abroad are unable to influence the reversal of a denial of entry.”
According to Reuters reports, the German authorities stressed that it did not count as an ‘official travel warning’
The recent advisory comes after reports of Germans being detained or deported when entering the US. In one incident, a 25-year-old man reported being detained at the US-Mexico border and taken to a deportation centre in chains, reports Axios.
In another, a German living in the US reported being arrested in Boston before being held in a detention centre for a week.
It comes in the same week it was reported that a French scientist was refused entry into the US for writing critical messages about President Donald Trump in a private text message on her phone.
Philippe Baptiste, France’s minister of higher education and research, said in a statement on Monday to Agence France-Presse published by Le Monde: “This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy.”
In another high profile incident, Rebecca Burke, 28, a graphic artist from Monmouthshire, was detained for 19 days while on a backpacking trip around America.
She was released back to the UK on Tuesday, having been led on to the plane in chains “like Hannibal Lecter”, a serial killer from the film Silence Of The Lambs.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Paul Burke, Becky’s father, has warned other travellers to double-check visa rules, saying you can do everything right and still be detained.
He described her experiences as “traumatic”.
“I think this experience will change all of us,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m going to say to anyone, ‘that’s it, she’s home, we can lock the door, and this has now gone away’.
“This will never go away, and what we want to do is to warn other young people, and anyone planning to travel to the US, to be extra careful and to check and double-check their visa requirements.”