An Australian man holding a valid US work visa was detained and deported after returning to the country from his sister’s memorial service. The man, who spoke to The Guardian under a pseudonym, “Jonathan”, said he has been living on the US East Coast for over five years, where his American partner, apartment, work studio, and clients remain.
The Guardian reported that he was stopped at border control during transit in Houston, Texas, and taken to a secondary screening room. He said that the room was filled with people, and most of them were from South America. After about 30 minutes, his name was called. He was asked if he wanted to contact the Australian consulate, but he declined.
‘Interview went round and round in circles’
“I thought I was just going to be given my passport and sent on my way, or maybe asked a couple of questions, but they made some pretty outlandish accusations,” The Guardian quoted Jonathan as saying. “They said, ‘We know you have two mobile phones. We’ve been tracking your calls. We know you’ve been selling drugs’.”
Jonathan said he denied the allegations, explaining that he doesn’t drink, smoke, or use drugs, and owns only one phone. He was then handed a brochure explaining that he had to surrender his phone and smartwatch. He was not allowed to contact a lawyer.
The man from Australia, after waiting for 5-6 hours, faced another round of interviews, which he said “went round and round in circles”. At one point, officials asked about the urn of ashes he was carrying. Although it was empty, the officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were called in to examine it.
‘You do not have the right visa’
When he explained to the officers that he had been living in the US for more than five years, he was told that he “didn’t have the right visa”. However, he claims that he has over a year left on the visa and has been frequently travelling in and out of the US on the same visa with no prior issues.
After a series of interviews, he was informed that his visa had been cancelled and that he was banned from entering the US for five years, even as a transit passenger. He was given a formal notice stating he was an “immigrant not in possession of a valid unexpired immigrant visa”, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and told he would be placed on a flight back to Australia.
“Trump is back in town; we’re doing things the way we should have always been doing them,” Jonathan quoted one official as saying, according to The Guardian.
‘Meals tasted like dog food in detention centre’
He was given a space blanket and given meals that “tasted like dog food”. He also spoke to other people in detention, some of whom had not left the room for two days. After over 30 hours, he was allowed a single phone call to his father.
After roughly a day and a half in detention, he was placed on a flight to Australia. Just before boarding, his phone and smartwatch were returned in an envelope. His passport was handed back shortly before landing.
“They didn’t give me any valid reasons for cancelling my visa. I’ve spoken to a bunch of lawyers and they all say I could fight it but that it would cost thousands and probably take five years anyway,” The Guardian quoted him as saying.
Jonathan was informed that he could apply for a new visa, but would first need to obtain a waiver to do so.
“Part of me wants to go back, part of me is done. I have my partner there, my studio, my apartment. I brought enough clothes with me for two days – my entire life is there,” he told The Guardian.
When The Guardian contacted a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security without revealing Jonathan’s identity, the department declined to comment, stating: “We cannot answer questions on something we cannot verify the veracity of.”