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Rejected, in handcuffs or in detention centers: Why US customs are scaring away European tourists

2025-03-22 18:29:15Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Rejected, in handcuffs or in detention centers: Why US customs are scaring away
Why US customs are scaring away European tourists

The Germans who ended up in prison were so numerous that the German Foreign Ministry had to change its travel recommendations for the United States.

"False statements about the reason for stay or even a slight overstay of the visa may lead to arrest, detention and deportation," the website reads.

It's not a warning – as is the case for problematic destinations like the Middle East or some areas of Africa – but it's closer to it.

Some European citizens – tourists, students, scientists – have been turned away at the US border or, worse, sent to detention centers for reasons that are not always clear.

Stories

A German woman, Jessica Brösche, 29, was detained for 46 days. Her compatriot, Lucas Sielaff, 25, was held in prison for 16 days.

He told Der Spiegel that he was taken to the deportation center “with a chain around his waist and shackles on his feet.” British woman Rebecca Burke, 28, was also detained for three weeks. And in a paradoxical way.

At the Canadian border – arriving from Washington state – she was asked to turn around and fill out visa paperwork correctly.

But when she set foot in the US again, she was handcuffed. A French researcher was denied entry, according to the AFP news agency, for his ideas.

During a search, his phone and computer were examined and criticism of Trump's policies towards academia was found.

concern

Airlines, airport management companies, travel agencies and hotels are officially optimistic.

But behind the scenes, there's more than a little fear. Visitors are starting to worry, some deciding to postpone their overseas trips, others canceling their reservations.

The topic "will be addressed at the next meeting of the Airports Council International (the organization that brings together airports)," predicts Armando Brunini, CEO of Sea, the management company of Milan's Linate and Malpensa airports in Italy.

Sector companies

“Bookings remain stable for the time being,” says Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa group. “We do not see a significant decline in demand for travel to the US,” adds Ben Smith, head of Air France-KLM.

A spokeswoman for Scandinavian Airlines gives the same answer. "But if there were a reduction, at that moment we would move the planes elsewhere," the CEO of the Franco-Dutch group tells Corriere della Sera.

Swiss Air is not being very diplomatic: Swiss holidaymakers are starting to look at destinations other than the United States. Business travel is stable, while tourist travel is declining.

prediction

And this can also be seen from the trend in airfares, which in the last three weeks have been significantly lower than last year's average or remain blocked before departure.

According to Tourism Economics, international travel to the US will fall by 5% this year (versus an initial +9% due to the "divisive policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration", with a loss of $64 billion for the tourism sector.

Inflows

Data from the US Department of Homeland Security – analyzed by "Corriere" and relating to the first two months of 2025 – show a decline in foreigners entering the US compared to the same two months of 2024: -9.5% from Italy, -6% from France, -7% from Germany compared to -1.7% from all of Europe.

With a further curiosity on the Italian front: the decrease – which comes after a reduction in the offer of flights – is not very pronounced for non-American companies (-2.1%), but severe for American ones (-24.5%). Those who have gone to the US, seem to have "boycotted" foreign carriers./ Corriere della Sera


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