There is an interesting drama on BBC Radio 4 that involves a cat-sitter being held at the US border. ‘‘Happy Holidays’’ is the name
5 Likes
I thought that she might have been held up because of mentioning being a house/cat sitter but see she overstayed her visa by one day. Coincidentally I was discussing this earlier today with a friend that, how stupid to detain someone for overstaying by one day when they’re trying to leave….
2 Likes
The problem is, if you let people slide, you risk creating precedents and maybe eventually no one takes your laws seriously. Like if someone gets away with it once, maybe next time they’ll push further. Or they blast on social media what they got away with.
Lest anyone misunderstand (like me initially), “drama” means complete fiction.
The premise that border agents might detain travelers EXITing the US is possible for wanted criminals. But there is NO physical immigration exit portal in US airports (unlike in Europe). Also, US airports don’t typically have ICE agents prancing around.
You might not have been travelling recently!
nytimes dot com /2025/12/12/us/politics/immigration-tsa-passenger-data.html
By wanted criminals do you mean DACA college studdents visiting family members? https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/us/babson-college-student-deported-thanksgiving-hnk
IMO, it’s best to check with your home country’s advisories before travelling to a foriengn country. As of now, many countries now have added advisories regarding increased issues at US airports.
I understand the story is fictional. It is not, however, far fetched.
(Active link to NYTImes article removed as site has a paywall)
2 Likes
It’s very far fetched based on 0 stories remotely similar to the premise of the BBC Radio drama. I have been unable to find even 1 story since April of a tourist being detained AFTER clearing immigration (whether coming or going) without a serious incident involving local law enforcement.
I have no problem with the BBC conjuring horror stories based on ongoing horrors under ICE. They have plenty to work with from real world incidents. This isn’t that.
Tourists aren’t DACA recipients. But, yes, it has been a couple of months since I’ve travelled internationally
criminal treatment for civil violations without any statute of limitations? I Today’s deportations are like a lifetime loss of your drivers license if digging through records reveals a speeding ticket from your teens. It’s complete nonsense.
(Edited in line with the Forum Guidelines)
1 Like
Please, what is DACA for the non Americans reading this?
Google’s words:
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a U.S. Homeland Security policy created in June 2012 that protects eligible young, undocumented immigrants (brought as children) from deportation and allows them to get work permits, providing temporary relief, not permanent legal status, with renewals typically every two years. The policy was announced by the Obama Administration and provides temporary lawful presence for those meeting specific age, residency, and education criteria, offering protection from removal and job authorization.
Thank you.
For clarity, “young” means that they were brought into the US by parents when they were anything between newborn and teens. That is, before the legal age of responsibility. They are young adults now who grew up in the US, often do not speak the language of their parents and are now being subjected to deportation. Many of them have done some teenage hijinks that got them into minor scrapes with the law. Those scrapes are now being dug up to justify deporting “hardened criminals”. Orwell got it right.