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News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Look at posts you've liked': Scary US truth
A US immigration lawyer has warned Aussies heading to the US to be 'aware and prepared' following a former NSW police officer's 'terrifying' ordeal. Andrea Szew, who has specialised in US immigration law for over 20 years, explained that tourists are now being subjected to heightened scrutiny from border officials at American airports following a crackdown under the Trump administration. 'They can look at who's posts you've liked, they can look at friends posts you have been tagged in – they can look at anything,' she told Nine News. The California-based lawyer said for Aussies to 'come, be aware, be prepared but don't be scared not to arrive'. There are claims some officers are emboldened by Trump's America-first policies, the publication reported, and if they suspect anything, immigration officials can search your phone or laptop. Nikki Saroukos claims she was a victim of this after being subjected to invasive searches, 'humiliating' treatment and a night in federal prison. The former NSW police officer was heading to Honolulu to visit her husband, a US Army lieutenant stationed in Hawaii, for three weeks with her mother. However, the moment she landed she says she was 'treated like a criminal'. She had her phone and luggage searched, was forced to spend a night behind bars despite having no criminal record and a valid ESTA visa, before being sent back to Australia. She claimed an officer told her she had 'too many clothes in her suitcase for a three and a half week trip'. Mrs Saroukos, from south-west Sydney, felt she was being racially profiled as officers allegedly questioned her tattoos. 'It sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send you back on a flight all the way to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' Ms Szew told Nine News. Former cop detained, deported from US In an interview with Mrs Saroukos said she visited Hawaii three times in recent months under the ESTA visa waiver program to see her husband with no issues. But this time, when she and her mother arrived to Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on May 18, the duo were heavily questioned. Her mother was eventually free to go but Mrs Saroukos was subjected to further interrogation. 'They questioned me about the demographic of my suburb and what crimes I was exposed to as a police officer,' she said. 'They were asking me about ice and meth and whether I knew how much was being imported from New Zealand.' She said she had 'know idea how to answer the questions'. 'I was just dumbfounded,' Ms Saroukos said. 'They took a 45-minute sworn statement where they grilled me on my stream of income, my marriage, my phone history. 'They were clutching at straws. They even asked why I had deleted Instagram three days prior, I was completely honest.' After hours of questioning, a DNA swab and a sworn statement, a supervisor informed her that her statement was deemed inadmissable and that she would not be entering the United States. Mrs Saroukos said she was handcuffed, subjected to an in-depth cavity search before being taken to a federal detention facility. Upon arriving at the prison she was fingerprinted again, ordered to strip naked, squat and cough, and handed prison issued briefs and green outerwear. Mrs Saroukos says she was taken to a shared cell where her roommate was a Fijian woman who was being held over similar circumstances. 'There were prisoners everywhere. I learned that I was being housed with convicted murderers,' she said. '(Other inmates) told me I looked like a fish out of water and even gave me soap and a towel.' Mrs Saroukos was eventually freed and driven back to the airport where she was deported back to Australia. She and her family have now hired an immigration lawyer in the US to probe what can be done about her ordeal. Travel advice for Aussies heading to the US As of May 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs has toughened its travel advice for the USA in response to the Trump administration's increasingly harsh border controls. While the overall rating of green to 'exercise normal safety precautions' has not changed, it has beefed up warnings about being detained at the border and requirements to carry identification while travelling within the country. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissable for any reason under US law,' the government's Smartraveller site states. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States.' It also warned that Aussies will now require a passport or United States-issued photo identification which meets the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) REAL ID requirements to board domestic flights in the United States.' Travel to the US drops Tourism Economics says foreign traveller arrivals in the US are expected to sharply decline this year. The travel data company revised its outlook after Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs announcement on April 2 — forecasting a 9.4 per cent decline in international visitor arrivals. Tourism Economics' report says decisions from the Trump Administration are creating a 'negative sentiment shift toward the US among travellers' — with Mr Trump's stance on border security and immigration one of the factors cited as discouraging visits. – with Ella McIlveen
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
2 nabbed in KLIA trying to smuggle over 300 exotic animals
The animals included blue iguanas, red-eared sliders, savannah monitors, nile monitors, common spotted cuscus, black-throated monitors, and others. PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency has arrested two Malaysian men at KLIA Terminal 1 as they tried to smuggle hundreds of exotic animals out of the country on Wednesday. The agency said checks conducted at 6.30am uncovered more than 300 exotic wildlife that were hidden in several bags belonging to the duo. The animals included blue iguanas, red-eared sliders, savannah monitors, nile monitors, common spotted cuscus, black-throated monitors, and others. They had an estimated total value of about RM460,000 and were confiscated for further action. It said the two suspects did not have any documents or permits allowing them to transport the animals out of the country.
LBCI
08-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Lebanon's PM Salam: My presence in Baalbek is a message of support for Lebanese Army's efforts
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed the need to halt Israeli violations, affirming that the Lebanese government has spared no effort in pushing for a swift Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Speaking after visiting the Baalbek Serail and inspecting border control operations, Salam stated: "We are committed to improving the Dahr El Baydar road, and it is essential to renew local governance through timely municipal elections." "My presence in Baalbek is a message of support and guidance for the Lebanese Army's efforts in border control and dismantling captagon factories, and a tribute to their sacrifices," he added.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Closing Time' Singer Slams Trump for Border Patrol Video
The Trump Administration's Border Control has dropped another Instagram video attempting to make deportations look cool. And the songwriter who penned the unrelated song they used to illustrate their point is firing back. Days after the agency's social media team used a Chris Brown song to glamorize the border beat, the Trump Administration's Border Control posted another clip Monday—this time showing young men in chains being loaded onto planes. In the new clip, tattooed deportees are seen being grabbed by border guards as Semisonic's iconic 1998 hit 'Closing Time' plays. 'Closing time. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here,' go the lyrics, as the adjoining clip shows the shackled men walking up a set of stairs and into an aircraft. Reached for comment by the Daily Beast, a spokesperson for Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson, who wrote the '90s hit, said, 'We did not authorize or condone the White House's use of our song in any way. And no, they didn't ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.' The clip was immediately reposted on X by White House communications director Steven Cheung and MAGA influencers Mike Cernovich, and Libs of TikTok, the latter of whom called it an 'epic troll.' The new video comes as President Donald Trump continues his crackdown on illegal immigration, after invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to speed up the process. Trump used the order to expedite the deportation of 137 migrants to El Salvador on Saturday. On Sunday, he defended his use of the 18th century wartime law, only previously used during the War of 1812 and the two World Wars. His administration proceeded with the deportations even as a federal judge ordered a temporary pause and asked that any flights in the air be turned around. The new Border Patrol mini production is the latest attempt by the agency to become more social media savvy and glamorize its work, despite mounting criticism. On Friday, the force racked up nearly 100,000 likes after sharing a video showing one of their vehicles doing its rounds near the U.S.-Mexico border with Chris Brown's 2011 'Look at Me Now' ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes as a backing track. 'I don't see how you can hate from outside of the club. You can't even get in,' Brown says, as the video shows a patrol vehicle driving alongside Trump's border wall. This video also garnered more than 1.7 million likes on TikTok. The Daily Beast has reached out to Semisonic's management about the use of the band's work in the Border Patrol's latest video.
