Bizarre detail that saw Aussie woman 'jailed' in US amid Trump's border crackdown: 'What do you mean?'
An Australian former police officer with no criminal history and a valid visa has spoken out after being detained in the US and sent packing back to Sydney, in the latest example of the Trump administration's uncompromising border control measures.
Nicolle Saroukos, from Padstow Heights in the city's southwest, has an American husband serving in the US military — but that still didn't stop immigration officials from jailing her for the night, searching her phone, luggage and "racially profiling" her, ultimately deciding to deny her entry into the country without clear reason why.
Officers in Honolulu, Hawaii, stated that Nicolle had packed "too many clothes" for the planned three-and-a-half-week trip and even questioned her tattoos.
"I said, 'what do you mean I'm going to prison?'" she told 9News in an interview aired Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old's disturbing experience is one that has become increasingly common at airports across the US, with Australian travellers growing more and more cautious.
Last month, Melbourne nurse Remi told Yahoo News she had just finished planning a "dream trip" to New York for Christmas with her husband later this year when she heard reports of travellers being detained and turned away at the border.
"When we booked, we hadn't heard about this happening, and then all of a sudden, there were these different stories from travellers from Germany, Canada and Australia being pulled aside at the border. It's scary, especially as a person of colour," she told Yahoo.
As for Nicolle, it was her third trip to visit her husband, Matt, a US Army lieutenant based on Oahu. The couple had married last December, and while her previous visits had gone smoothly, this time was very different.
"[An immigration officer] went from completely composed to just yelling at the top of his lungs, telling my mother to go stand at the back of the line and to 'shut up,'" Nicolle told Hawaii News Now. "So I automatically started crying because that was my first response."
Nicolle said a border officer told her she would be sent to "prison" overnight, not a detention centre. Fearing she'd be held with serious criminals, she was further distressed when officials, who claimed they'd contact her husband, failed to do so. She also described being subjected to a body cavity search, escorted through the airport in handcuffs, and taken to the Federal Detention Centre.
Nicolle was told she wasn't under arrest, hadn't done anything wrong, and wouldn't face charges. But at prison, she was strip-searched and detained alongside women convicted of serious crimes, she said. Sharing a cell with another deportee from Fiji, Nicolle was also denied food for missing the dinner cutoff and wasn't allowed to contact her husband or mother.
"My rights, as a human being, should be to contact at least one person," she said. "I found that so absurd."
Nicolle's experience, along with a growing number of similar cases, has prompted travel experts to issue renewed warnings about the rising risks tied to travel to the US.
Australians are being urged to be extra vigilant, as even minor paperwork issues can lead to major consequences. Travellers are advised to never book a one-way ticket, keep a printed copy of their itinerary on hand, and take particular care when completing their ESTA — the electronic visa waiver application required for most tourists.
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It's recommended that travellers lodge their ESTA as early as possible and double-check all details, as errors or inconsistencies can raise red flags at the border. Immigration lawyers also caution that US border officials may screen social media accounts during entry checks.
In addition to securing the correct documents, Australians should familiarise themselves with all visa and transit requirements, including terms and conditions of the visa waiver program, to avoid unexpected detention or deportation.
The federal government's Smartraveller website updated its advice to those travelling to the US last month. "Entry requirements are strict," it reported. "US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law."
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