An Australian student has described how he was stopped and held in custody for almost 30 hours in the United States due to a little-known travel law.
A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer asked Jack Dunn, 23, whether he had a plane ticket to depart the country, which he didn’t.
Mr Dunn told the officer he had booked a flight to Mexico and was planned to buy his flights and accommodations on the go.
After officials determined he didn’t match the admission standards, the youth worker was quickly handcuffed and brought to the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu.
The youth worker was unaware that under the Visa Waiver Program, travelers must have a separate ticket out of the United States to any foreign port or destination that is not a neighboring country or an adjacent island.
Officers questioned the 23-year-old for hours, during which time he attempted to arrange a flight to Panama, the only capital city that came to mind.
Because he didn’t have service or Wi-Fi, an airline employee handed Mr Dunn his phone so he could buy a plane ticket, but he needed to transfer money first.
‘But it was $US500, which I didn’t have in my account, so I was trying to explain to the (US Customs and Border Protection officer) that all I needed was the internet to transfer money across,’
‘She was perplexed that I had money in two different accounts, but that’s something I’ve always done.’
The student was unable to ‘overcome the inference of an intentional immigrant,’ according to the CBP officer, and he did not match the entry requirements.
He had ‘no ties or equities’ to Australia, according to the authorities, and he didn’t have enough money to support himself throughout his planned stay in the US.
He was told he had to board the next aircraft to Sydney the next day, which meant he would have to spend the night in a detention center.
Guards strip-searched the 23-year-old twice and forced him to wear the same orange prison uniform as convicted felons.
Mr Dunn claimed that he was afraid of his cellmate, who talked to himself and punched the walls, and that he was unable to sleep.
He remembered blood and feces splattered on the cell walls.
His family received a call from a CBP officer in Victoria, who assured them that Jack was safe but gave no further details.
His parents began to wonder if their son had turned into an unwitting ‘drug mule.’
According to a CBP spokesman, candidates for the Visa Waiver Program must have a round-trip ticket that takes them out of the United States to any other foreign port or destination that is not in ‘contiguous territory or an adjacent island’
Applicants should also be able to show that they have enough money to support themselves for the duration of their stay, they stated.
They must also be able to demonstrate adequate relationships or equities to their original nation.
A VWP information page on the Australian US Embassy website contains the visa requirements but does not state that applicants must have tickets to places that are not bordering countries or surrounding islands.