'Horror movie': German tourist remains in ICE detention center after over a month

04 March

Many critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policies have been saying that although they are all for border security, they fear overreach. And one case that is drawing negative attention is the detention of Jessica Brösche, a German tourist who has been in the custody of U.S. immigration officials since January 25.

According to The Guardian's Marina Dunbar, the 26-year-old Brösche was trying to enter the United States from Tijuana, Mexico when she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at the border. Brösche was traveling with her friend Amelia Lofving, a U.S. citizen who lives in Los Angeles.

Brösche, a tattoo artist, and Lofving were on their way to L.A., but Brösche, as of Monday, March 3, remained in an ICE detention center.

Dunbar reports, "Brösche had her German passport, confirmation of her visa waiver to enter the country, and a copy of her return ticket back to Berlin, Lofving said. But she was still pulled aside for a secondary inspection by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. Brösche said she then spent days detained in a cell at the San Diego border before being taken into custody by ICE. The agency brought her to the Otay Mesa detention center, where she's now been for more than a month."

KPBS-TV (a PBS station in San Diego) reported that ICE officials accused Brösche of violating the terms of her visa waiver by planning to work as a tattoo artist in Southern California. And according to San Diego's Channel 10 ABC News, Brösche spent eight days in solitary confinement at the ICE facility.

Lofving told Channel 10, "She says it was like a horror movie. They were screaming in all different rooms. After nine days, she said she went so insane that she started punching the walls — and then, she's got blood on her knuckles."

According to Dunbar, "Lofving said she asked ICE agents if Brösche could be sent back to Mexico, but they responded that her lack of legal residency would mean she would be deported back to Germany. Lofving also said she tried to get help from the German Consulate in Los Angeles. Lofving initially had no idea where Brösche was being held or if she had already been deported to Germany. It was only after pleading for help online and using the federal Detainee Locator website that she was able to track down her friend."

Read The Guardian's full article at this link.

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