I have a coworker travelling there in July. Unwillingly, I’ve been more or less been kept in the loop what preparing the trip implies and I’m pretty horrified.
Up until now, these are some of demands made (and accepted):
- full disclosure and acess to social networks
- criminal record
- recent photo, perfectly groomed and in the attire to be used to travel there. No deviations will be tolerated from the supplied photo.
- complete list of possible identifying marks on the body, with pictures (tattoos, moles, melanistic spots, scars, etc)
- name and social networks of parents, siblings and other close relatives, including children.
The person is separated with two children; this is causing a lot of friction.
- has already been warned an interview of up to two hours will be held upon arrival.
The person speaks broken english at best.
- disclosure of place of employment and other connections to public organizations
They are connected to a local soccer club and a youth sports association.
To add to all of this, this isn’t a standard caucasian human but someone who has looks that can be taken for someone from the middle east, slightly darker shade of skin included.
Flying from southern europe straight to Florida.
I’m concerned. I would not go, full stop. They have people waiting there for them but nonetheless. Considering the heated state of affairs, it is something I consider of not easily to overlook risk.
You didn’t say why they’re coming. That matters. If they’re coming for soccer-related stuff, they may take a while to interview but they should pass through. In general, the US has millions of people traveling in and out of it per day. Most people don’t have any issue. It’s just that now, instead of only suspect people having issues, any random person can have an issue because of immigration enforcement quotas. The officers generally don’t care about you, the individual they arrest, at all. They arrest white American citizens without any legal authority. They’re just boosting their arrest quota. So, if something happens, it’ll be by random chance of the officer not caring about their job.
The person is travelling for leisure, visiting relatives of their current partner, that live there. I’ve been told they’ve been talking about going to watch a world cup match but the tickets are incredibly expensive and hard to get. That is the closest to the soccer connection it gets.