ADVERTISEMENTThe number of tourists visiting the US from Germany has dramatically declined since US President Donald Trump took office for the second time.
Several German tourists have been detained at the US border, in some cases for weeks at a time, following a “change in American immigration policy.”
In one case, a scientist was reportedly turned away because he had anti-Trump messages on his phone.
Although the number of Germans booking US holidays has dwindled, most of the holidays that were already booked are still going ahead.
German travel agencies told Euronews that bookings were down by at least 50 per cent compared to January to March last year, when former President Joe Biden was still in office. However, they also said they hadn’t seen any cancellations yet.
Here is a handy guide on how to prepare for a holiday to the US if you’ve already booked one.
Backup your data before you travel
The US government can seize your devices if you do not comply with unlocking devices, password requests or social media logins.
Devices can reportedly be seized for an indefinite period of time, so you’ll want to make sure you have a secure copy of your data.
You could consider backing up your phone onto a laptop that you leave at home, and if you need to bring a laptop, consider wiping sensitive documents.
One of the German tourists, 29-year-old tattoo artist from Berlin, Jessica Brösche, was detained after US authorities assumed she intended to work in the US as she was travelling with tattoo equipment.
This suggests it might not be wise not to travel with any items border guards could interpret as work tools.
Look at what’s on your phone before you get to the border
Customs and Border Protection officers are legally allowed to search your phone if you are not a citizen of the US. For those who need a visa or are Green Card holders, refusing to divulge your password could see you denied entry to the US, even if you have an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) or visa granted in advance.
If you wipe your phone entirely, border guards could find this more suspicious, but whatever you do keep, they need to be messages you wouldn’t mind border guards reading.
If you do delete messages, for example those critical of the Trump administration, then you’d want to make sure that they aren’t floating around somewhere in a deleted folder – like the recently deleted folder in iMessage or in the archive on WhatsApp.
Give your keys to someone trusted and memorise their phone number
In the cases where visitors were detained at the border for weeks, they were given a single telephone call. However, if your device is seized, then you won’t have access to the contacts stored in your phone.
ADVERTISEMENTMemorise the telephone number of someone you trust and consider giving your key to a neighbour and telling them to call the embassy or a lawyer if they don’t hear from you for several days. They can at least water your plants if you are detained for an unknown amount of time.
Ideally, if you are travelling with your phone, do everything within your power to make sure it’s not confiscated for an indefinite time, as many companies use two-factor SMS authentication to gain access to essential services such as online banking and social media profiles.
As the US government has made moves to cancel visas and deport non-US students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests last year, including green-card holder Mahmoud Khalil, it might also be wise to make sure your profile photo is not of you at a Palestinian protest.
You may also want to double-check that your social media sites are private, in case anything you have posted could mean you are denied a visa or travel authorisation.
ADVERTISEMENTTurn off your devices before travel
The best practice is to turn off devices before getting on your flight, as some software can crack passwords easier when your phone or laptop has been on for a while. According to this handyguide, phone security is stronger when it has just been turned on.
If you do decide to bring your laptop with you, make sure you also switch it off properly and don’t just put it on sleep mode.
You could also disable your FaceID and TouchID used to unlock phones, as it’s a grey area as to whether border guards can point the phone at you to get it to unlock.
Make sure you have enough money to buy a last-minute ticket home
Lucas Sielaff was detained at the Mexican-US border this year for several days, with no sign of when he would be released.
ADVERTISEMENTSuddenly, he was told he could return home and needed to book a direct flight back to Germany. In this case, he quickly booked a flight for nearly €3,000, according to AP.
So, just in case the worst does happen, it is probably a good idea to set aside some money to make sure you can book a flight home in an emergency.
