Germany probing three cases of citizens detained and denied entry to US

Germany is probing the case of three of its citizens being denied entry and placed in detention as they tried to enter the US, the country's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Tourists from several countries, including Germans, have reportedly been caught up in US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.

"We have recently become aware of three cases in which German citizens were unable to enter the USA and were detained for deportation when they entered the country," government spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said.

Two of the three cases had been resolved, Fischer confirmed, but Berlin is "monitoring the situation" and liaising with other EU countries to assess if these were isolated cases or representative of "a change in American immigration policy".

“Once we have a clear picture, we will then, if necessary, adjust our travel and security advice,” Fischer added.

German and US media reported that two German tourists and one German green card holder had been arrested on re-entry to the US.

Among them is Fabian Schmidt, 34, a legal permanent US resident. According to US outlet WGBH, he was detained at an airport in Boston before being transferred to a detention facility in Rhode Island.

Schmidt's mother, Astrid Senior, told the broadcaster that her son was "violently interrogated" at the airport before being stripped naked and forced into a cold shower by two officials.

The German foreign ministry said it was aware of the case and that its consulate in Boston was providing support.

"It is clear that we expect from our partners, as well as from all other countries in the world, that prison conditions comply with international human rights standards and that detainees are treated accordingly," Fischer said.

The two other nationals affected were Jessica Brösche, a 29-year-old tattoo artist from Berlin, and Lucas Sielaff, 25, from Saxony-Anhalt. Both have been sent back to Germany after their cases were resolved.

Brösche had attempted to enter the US from Tijuana in Mexico while travelling with her friend, a US citizen.

According to the online fundraiser set up to fund her return, authorities originally told her she would be detained for several days, but that what ensued instead was an "alarming sequence of events" with Brösche transferred and kept at the Otay Mesa Detention centre for more than six weeks.

Brösche's friends alleged she was put in solitary confinement for nine days during her ordeal.

According to ABC 10News, San Diego CoreCivic, the company that owns the detention centre where Brösche was held, denied her claims that she had been placed in solitary confinement.

Sielaff returned to Germany in early March after two weeks in detention his girlfriend, Lennon Tyler, told Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger. He had entered the US on a tourist visa and visited Mexico for a short trip.

Tyler said Sielaff had incorrectly answered an immigration officer that he lived in Las Vegas due to his lack of English skills. His tourist visa was subsequently revoked at a border point in San Ysidro.

“Don’t come here,” Tyler warned in her interview. “Especially not if you’re on a tourist visa, and especially not over the Mexican border.”

It is unclear why Brösche and Sielaff, who reportedly had valid tourist visas, were detained.

Germans who have a valid tourist visa to the US are generally allowed to travel visa-free for up to 90 days, according to the US embassy website in Germany.

Green card holders are generally allowed to travel abroad and re-enter the US after stays lasting less than six consecutive months, according to the US government.