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British tourist detained by US authorities for 10 days over visa issue

(www.theguardian.com)
205 points n1b0m | 1 comments | 10 Mar 25 18:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.201s | source
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decimalenough ◴[10 Mar 25 19:58 UTC] No.43325298[source]▶
If she is on a "four-month backpacking trip around North America" and tried to return to the US, she has exceeded the 90-day limit allowed by the Visa Waiver Program (which counts days both in the US and "adjacent territories") and is now an illegal overstayer. The unpaid labor stuff and getting refused entry to Canada is icing on the cake.

For the record, I'm no fan of ICE/CBP, but it looks like they're just enforcing the law here.

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1. threatofrain ◴[10 Mar 25 20:32 UTC] No.43325742[source]▶
Given the sum of facts, poor vacation planning is a fair interpretation of the final story. There's a general absence of hostility towards the US in this story and instead a sense of attraction and willingness to spend vacation time and money here.

We should be directing the treatment of such minor offenses through polished administrative pathways and not 10 days in prison. That person will likely not come back ever again, and it's a shame because there's every indication that this woman would be a fine visitor and customer to local businesses, US and Canadian.

They're just here for pure sightseeing under the most amicable of moods. 10 days in prison.