Latest news with #HonoluluInternationalAirport
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teenagers ‘arrested and strip searched in Hawaii over badly planned holiday'
Two German teenagers were allegedly strip searched and deported over a badly-planned trip to Hawaii. Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepère, 18, arrived in Honolulu with plans to explore the island for five weeks after graduating high school. Instead, the pair say they were interrogated for hours upon their arrival before border agents denied them entry and turned them around, according to German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung. 'It was all like a fever dream,' Ms Lepère said. 'We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the US. But at the time, we didn't think it was happening to Germans. That was perhaps very naive. We felt so small and powerless.' Officials are said to have become suspicious of the teenagers after learning they had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii. The pair said they were pulled aside and allegedly subjected to body scans and strip searches before being handcuffed and given green prison uniforms. On March 19, a day after arriving, they were taken back to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs, where they requested to be sent to Tokyo, Japan. Three days after their arrest, they returned home to Rostock, Germany, according to Ostsee Zeitung. 'They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodation for the entire five weeks in Hawaii,' Ms Pohl said. 'We wanted to travel spontaneously. Just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand.' The German Foreign Office told the outlet it was involved in the pair's case and provided consular support following their experience. Around the same time as the teenager's detention, Germany updated its travel advisory for the United States to emphasise that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry for its citizens. Since taking office, Donald Trump has announced a string of immigration-related executive orders that focus on stricter border policy, tighter visa vetting procedures and a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the United States. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Teenagers ‘arrested and strip searched in Hawaii over badly planned holiday'
Two German teenagers were allegedly strip searched and deported over a badly-planned trip to Hawaii. Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepère, 18, arrived in Honolulu with plans to explore the island for five weeks after graduating high school. Instead, the pair say they were interrogated for hours upon their arrival before border agents denied them entry and turned them around, according to German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung. 'It was all like a fever dream,' Ms Lepère said. 'We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the US. But at the time, we didn't think it was happening to Germans. That was perhaps very naive. We felt so small and powerless.' Officials are said to have become suspicious of the teenagers after learning they had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii. The pair said they were pulled aside and allegedly subjected to body scans and strip searches before being handcuffed and given green prison uniforms. On March 19, a day after arriving, they were taken back to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs, where they requested to be sent to Tokyo, Japan. Three days after their arrest, they returned home to Rostock, Germany, according to Ostsee Zeitung. 'They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodation for the entire five weeks in Hawaii,' Ms Pohl said. 'We wanted to travel spontaneously. Just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand.' The German Foreign Office told the outlet it was involved in the pair's case and provided consular support following their experience. Around the same time as the teenager's detention, Germany updated its travel advisory for the United States to emphasise that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry for its citizens. Since taking office, Donald Trump has announced a string of immigration-related executive orders that focus on stricter border policy, tighter visa vetting procedures and a crackdown on undocumented migrants in the United States.
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Business Standard
21-04-2025
- Business Standard
German teens detained, deported from US over 'suspicious itinerary'
Planning to travel to the US? Have you booked your stay fully? If not, then you may want to think it through — because two German teenagers, Charlotte Pohl (19) and Maria Lepère (18), ran into unexpected trouble during their trip when US border officers reportedly detained and jailed them, citing their trip as 'suspicious'. According to a report by The Independent, citing German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung, both the teenagers landed in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 18, where they were reportedly denied entry into the US, despite possessing valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approvals. They had travelled to the US after a trip from Thailand and New Zealand. At Honolulu International Airport, the officers allegedly interrogated Pohl and Lepère for hours and subjected them to body scans and strip searches. Soon after, the US Customs and Border Protection agents informed them that they would not be allowed entry and would be deported, the report added. Why were they denied entry? Because they had not fully booked accommodation for their five-week stay in Hawaii. 'They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii. We wanted to travel spontaneously, just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand," Pohl said, as quoted by The Independent. They further added that they were then put in a holding cell for the night alongside long-term detainees — some of whom, they said, were even accused of serious crimes — reported Beat of Hawaii. The next day, they were reportedly escorted in handcuffs back to Honolulu International Airport, where they asked to be flown to Tokyo, Japan, from where they returned to their hometown of Rostock three days later. The development comes in the backdrop of the immigration crackdown by the Donald Trump administration in the US. Last month, Germany issued an advisory for its citizens, highlighting that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry into the US, reported The Independent. Following this incident, the German Foreign Office also emphasised that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry into the US.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Teenage German tourists handcuffed and deported from Hawaii over ‘suspicious' hotel booking
Two globetrotting German teenagers had their travel plans upended when they were denied entry to the U.S. and detained by border officers who called their trip 'suspicious,' according to a report. Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepère, 18, from Rostock—about 140 miles north of Berlin—had already visited New Zealand and Thailand as part of their around-the-world trip after graduating from high school. Upon arriving in Honolulu on March 18 with hopes of island-hopping Hawaii's islands, the teens were allegedly denied entry into the U.S. despite holding the required Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), according to German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung. Pohl and Lepère were interrogated in Honolulu International Airport for hours and allegedly subjected to body scans and strip searches before, finally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents denied them entry to the country and said they would be deported, according to the outlet. 'It was all like a fever dream,' Lepère said. 'We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the U.S. But at the time, we didn't think it was happening to Germans. That was perhaps very naive. We felt so small and powerless.' Officials became suspicious of potential illegal work intentions after learning the teens had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii, according to Beat of Hawaii. 'They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii,' Pohl said. 'We wanted to travel spontaneously. Just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand.' Pohl and Lepère say they were handcuffed and given green prison uniforms. The women said they were placed in a holding cell beside some other detainees who were accused of serious crimes. The teens alleged they spent the night on moldy mattresses in a freezing double cell. On March 19, the young travelers were allegedly taken back to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs, where they requested to be sent to Tokyo, Japan. Three days after their arrest, they returned to Rostock via Tokyo, Qatar, and Frankfurt am Main, according to Ostsee Zeitung. The German Foreign Office told the outlet it was involved in Pohl and Lepere's case and provided consular support following their experience. The office reminded travelers that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry to the U.S. — a decision left to border officials at the point of arrival. Germany updated its travel advisory to the U.S. last month, following some visitors' turbulent experiences in the country amid Donald Trump's border crackdown. It emphasized that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry to the country after several German nationals had recently been detained at the border. In total, Western European visitors experienced a 12 percent drop-off in March, one of the largest on record outside of the pandemic, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. There was a significant decline in German visitors to the U.S. last month, with a decrease of more than 28 percent compared to the same period last year. The Independent has contacted the CBP and German Foreign Office for more information.
The Independent
21-04-2025
- The Independent
Teenage German tourists handcuffed and deported from Hawaii over ‘suspicious' hotel booking
Two globetrotting German teenagers had their travel plans upended when they were denied entry to the U.S. and detained by border officers who called their trip 'suspicious,' according to a report. Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepère, 18, from Rostock—about 140 miles north of Berlin—had already visited New Zealand and Thailand as part of their around-the-world trip after graduating from high school. Upon arriving in Honolulu on March 18 with hopes of island-hopping Hawaii 's islands, the teens were allegedly denied entry into the U.S. despite holding the required Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), according to German newspaper Ostsee Zeitung. Pohl and Lepère were interrogated in Honolulu International Airport for hours and allegedly subjected to body scans and strip searches before, finally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents denied them entry to the country and said they would be deported, according to the outlet. 'It was all like a fever dream,' Lepère said. 'We had already noticed a little bit of what was going on in the U.S. But at the time, we didn't think it was happening to Germans. That was perhaps very naive. We felt so small and powerless.' Officials became suspicious of potential illegal work intentions after learning the teens had not booked accommodation for their entire five-week stay in Hawaii, according to Beat of Hawaii. 'They found it suspicious that we hadn't fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii,' Pohl said. 'We wanted to travel spontaneously. Just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand.' Pohl and Lepère say they were handcuffed and given green prison uniforms. The women were placed in a holding cell beside some other detainees who were accused of serious crimes. The teens alleged they spent the night on moldy mattresses in a freezing double cell. On March 19, the young travelers were allegedly taken back to Honolulu International Airport in handcuffs, where they requested to be sent to Tokyo, Japan. Three days after their arrest, they returned to Rostock via Tokyo, Qatar, and Frankfurt am Main, according to Ostsee Zeitung. The German Foreign Office told the outlet it was involved in Pohl and Lepere's case and provided consular support following their experience. The office reminded travelers that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry to the U.S. — a decision left to border officials at the point of arrival. Germany updated its travel advisory to the U.S. last month, following some visitors' turbulent experiences in the country amid Donald Trump's border crackdown. It emphasized that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry to the country after several German nationals had recently been detained at the border. In total, Western European visitors experienced a 12 percent drop-off in March, one of the largest on record outside of the pandemic, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. There was a significant decline in German visitors to the U.S. last month, with a decrease of more than 28 percent compared to the same period last year.
