Allegations of mistreatment: German released after two months in US deportation detention

In March, a German man with a US residency permit attempted to enter the United States – and subsequently spent more than 60 days in deportation detention. He was allegedly yelled at at the airport and later handcuffed to a bed. The reason may have been trivial. Now he's free again.

After more than 60 days in US custody, a German citizen living in the US has been released. The Federal Foreign Office confirmed this. The mother of 34-year-old Fabian Schmidt, who lives with his wife and child in the US state of New Hampshire, also spoke about the electrical engineer's release. The exact circumstances of the two-month odyssey remain unclear.

Schmidt was reportedly detained at Boston Airport upon arrival on March 7 and subsequently held in a detention center in the state of Rhode Island. According to his mother, he has lived in the United States since 2007 and holds a so-called green card, which gives him legal status largely equivalent to that of a U.S. citizen. He accused the authorities of mistreating him.

Background possibly a drug offense

Among other things, he was yelled at during questioning at the airport and forced to undress. He became ill while in custody and was taken to a hospital, where he was confined to a bed. The allegations could not be independently verified. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

The Foreign Office stated that the German Consulate General in Boston had worked tirelessly on behalf of the person concerned since the case was announced and had taken over consular assistance.

Due to similar cases, the Federal Foreign Office updated its travel advice for the USA in mid-March. Since then, it has stated that entry and exit could result in "arrest, detention pending deportation, and deportation." Possible reasons include a criminal record in the USA, false information regarding the purpose of stay, or even a slight overstay.

The reason for the US authorities' actions could be an old drug offense. According to his mother, Schmidt's questioning repeatedly revolved around a cannabis offense from almost ten years ago. The case was dropped.

In recent months, there have been several other cases, including those involving German citizens, who were arrested upon entering the United States. In some cases, those affected were held in deportation centers for days or weeks.