🔒 German Tourist Ends Up in Detention
The Story Unfolds
Amelia Lofving, a Los-Angeles based designer, was eagerly looking forward to a reunite with her friend Jessica Brösche, a German tattoo artist holidaying in Mexico. Their plan was simple – to cross the border and spend a month in LA making art. But things were about to take a drastic turn. Brösche, only 26, has been in federal immigration custody since Jan. 25 — the day they tried to cross the border.🕵️♀️ Into the Unknown
Despite having her German passport, a confirmed visa waiver, and her return ticket back to Berlin, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent pulled Brösche aside for a second inspection. Left waiting outside, Lofving was unaware that it would be 25 long days before she saw her friend again.The Search Begins 🔍
When Brösche failed to contact after a couple of days, and contact with her remained unanswered even after a week, Lofving turned to the internet for help. And boy, did the internet respond! 'Doom scrolling TikTok' led local resident Ashley Paschen to Brösche's story. This prompted her to visit the Otay Mesa Detention Center, an ICE facility managed by Core Civic, and bring back messages from Brösche.💔A Heart-Breaking Reunion
The visit revealed a shocking picture of her friend’s plight. Brösche had spent nine horrifying days in solitary confinement, in a setting described akin to a 'horror movie'. This appeared to violate the agency's own standards, which limits detention in such facilities to 72 hours.💵The Unnecessary Burden on Taxpayers
In another twist, it is worth noting that Brösche’s original return flight to Berlin was on Feb. 15 — almost two weeks ago. Lofving expressed her incredulity on the wasted taxpayers' money, considering Brösche was more than willing to leave the country. The average cost per day for a detained noncitizen adult is$164, thus costing taxpayers $4,900 for a month.'Why are American taxpayers spending thousands of dollars detaining tourists who are perfectly willing to leave?'
🚧Lack of A Systematic Process
Pedro Rios, an immigrant rights activist, underlined Brösche's situation as a glaring example of a broken immigration system. It notably represents a lack of efficiency and a misplaced adherence to stringent procedures, causing unnecessary suffering for individuals.How can we improve our immigration system to address situations like Brösche's more efficiently and humanely?