Two German teenagers who traveled to the United States were arrested and denied entry after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deemed their trip “suspicious.”
Several outlets reported that Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on March 18 and planned to travel the islands before heading to California.
However, the teens’ journey was abruptly derailed when Border Protection realized that the girls did not book their accommodations for the duration of their visit in Hawaii.
“They found it suspicious that we hadn’t fully booked our accommodations for the entire five weeks in Hawaii,” Pohl told Ostsee Zeitung, a German outlet.
The teens were questioned for hours at the Honolulu Airport and were then placed in a holding cell, where they stayed overnight. The following morning, the teens learned that they were denied entry to the United States. The girls requested to be sent to Japan.
The New York Post shared the story on X. Shortly after, DHS responded to the story directly.
German teens traveling to US jailed and booted after loosely planned vacation deemed 'suspicious' https://t.co/hbqgEELbBo pic.twitter.com/QeJNCrxvAS
— New York Post (@nypost) April 21, 2025
“Another false narrative. These travelers weren’t deported—they were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S. under false pretenses,” the agency asserted.
“One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program. Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work—something strictly prohibited under U.S. immigration laws for these visas,” they added.
Another false narrative. These travelers weren’t deported—they were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S. under false pretenses.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) April 21, 2025
One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program. Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to… https://t.co/bYlT0xdBYe
The girls responded to this statement, telling Ostsee Zeitung that CBP “twisted” their words.
“They contained sentences we didn’t actually say,” Pohl said of interrogation transcripts they were sent home with. “They twisted it to make it seem as if we admitted that we wanted to work illegally in the US.”
“We wanted to travel spontaneously. Just like we had done in Thailand and New Zealand,” she continued.
“We were searched with metal detectors, our entire bodies were scanned, and we had to stand naked in front of the police officers and were looked through,” Pohl added. “Then we were given green prison clothes and put in a prison cell with serious criminals.”
Lepere added that “We felt so small and powerless.”
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