Some German tourists, fearing harassment or detention, avoid us

Berlin – Jessica Lia Brösche is a Berlin tattoo artist who escaped from the German winter under the sun of northern Mexico. She planned to add a short trip through the border to visit a friend in Los Angeles. But she never did it.

Brösche was arrested by immigration and customs application when she tried to enter the United States near San Diego on January 26 – six days after the inauguration of President Trump. The 29 -year -old German national was detained at the Otay Mesa detention center for six weeks before being authorized to go home.

“They treat you on the border as if you were a criminal,” said Brösche to Times after his return to Berlin. “I only wanted to visit a friend in Los Angeles for a few days.”

The German consulate did not comment on the matter. In an email at the Associated Press, Ice has not discussed the case of Brösche in detail but said that “if the statutes or the terms of visa are raped, travelers can be subject to detention and withdrawal. “”

The detention of Brösche made the headlines across Europe.

“Berlin Woman endures” History of horror “in the American detention center while facing expulsion,” wrote a German newspaper. “Did the United States settle on German tourists entering the country?” wrote another.

Brösche's experience – and media reports from other Germans or Europeans held by the immigration authorities – may have contributed to cooling travel in the United States, which is normally one of the most popular destinations abroad for the Germans, with more than 2 million visitors each year.

There was an appreciable drop in visitors to the United States from Europe in March, after the Trump administration introduced aggressive repression against immigration. The number of German visitors has dropped the most hastily – 28% less in March compared to the previous March, according to data from the International Trade Administration, a German government agency.

There were also much fewer Germans arriving in California in March, down 26% to 20,847 from March 2024, the agency said.

Visit California, a non -profit organization for tourism, recently reduced its forecasts for 2,225 spending by all state visitors from 6 billion to $ 160 billion after seeing the drop in the first quarter.

Reflecting the diminished demand to visit California, the Air Prices in Germany also fell. The seats on the round trip from Mid-Summer in Berlin to Los Angeles are now found for as little as $ 500, or about half as expensive as a year ago.

The trend has made the alarm because visitors from abroad have a significant impact on the American economy – in particular in California, one of the main destinations for German tourists.

Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, told Times that his independent organization had reduced his tourism forecasts in the United States, against a gain of 9% in 2025 to a 9% drop due to the turbulence caused since Trump took office.

“In simple terms, international leisure travelers have total discretion at the moment and where they travel, and negative perceptions are reducing interest in the visit of the United States,” wrote Sacks in an email.

The Germans, who receive six weeks of vacation paid each year, are among the most generous travelers in the world and their absence this summer would probably be felt in hot spots in California such as Universal Studios, Disneyland, Beaches and Death Valley. The Germans spent $ 112 billion for travel abroad in 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, following only Chinese visitors (197 billion dollars) and Americans ($ 150 billion).

The absence of German tourists this summer would probably be felt in hot spots in California such as Universal Studios. The Germans spent $ 112 billion for travel abroad in 2023, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

(Amanda Villegas / For Times)

Residents of other countries have sworn American trips to protest against Trump's policies on immigration, foreign affairs or prices. Many Canadians have gone away, including Palm Springs, which generally hosts a large contingent of Canadians.

The drop in German tourists does not reflect politics, but fear.

Brösche was largely cited in the German press saying that it was held in a small cell for nine days. “Being in isolation was difficult,” she told Times. “I had headaches and I started to have panic attacks. I was about to lose it. The company owner of the detention center, Corecivic, denied having been detained in such a detention.

“I love traveling in the United States, but I don't think I'm going to risk risking it this year,” said Karolina Pieper, a 39-year-old official who, generally a vacation in the United States, three times a year. “I don't want to have a chance to end up stopping at the airport, then taking Salvador prison, shaved hair forced to kneel online with the prisoners.”

The Germans with trade relations in the United States also report growing anxiety. Martin Moszkowicz, a Consulting Film executive, said that some German actors and writers, who, in the past, had criticized Trump on social networks, be wary of going to the United States for fear of being detained.

“All of this creates a lot of uncertainty, and it's never good for business,” said Moszkowicz.

A traveler waits inside the Delta Airlines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. The number of German visitors to the United States fell 28% in March compared to the previous year, according to data from the International Trade Administration, a German government agency.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The German reports undergoing a special examination when you try to enter the United States continue to circulate.

A German electrician engineer named Fabian Schmidt, 34, has a green card since 2008. But he was detained at Boston Logan airport when come back from a visit In Germany on March 7 and was held for two months.

His mother, Astrid senior, was cited in German media saying that he had been deprived of sleep, food and water when he was detained for three weeks in detention in Rhode Island. She said that the authorities would not let him have her anxiety medication and that her condition has deteriorated to the point that he had to be taken to the hospital.

“I would have a real problem with all the stress that goes to the United States now,” said Udo Grelzik, 64, solar energy entrepreneur from a suburbs of Berlin. “All these stories of Germans were arrested on the border just for trying to visit on vacation. I could not manage the interrogation. My English is not very good and I would be afraid of saying something wrong. And then I find myself in prison just because I misunderstood something. No thank you.”

Grelzik said he would spend a few weeks this year in Canada.

Brösche said that she was first informed by the authorities that she suspected that she was trying to work illegally in the United States because she was traveling with her tattoo equipment, then told her that she had stayed longer than the 90 days allowed on her visa on a trip to Chicago two years ago. She said that the immigration authorities later told her that she was surprised in the process of entering the United States illegally.

Brösche said all of these statements were false. She had her tattooing equipment, she said, but provided for ink another tattoo artist, not to work professionally.

Others said they were wanted, handcuffed and locked, often without explanation.

“It was really humiliating,” said Maria Lepere, a 19 -year -old German from Rostock who was detained with her friend Charlotte Pohl, also 19, at Honolulu airport for 24 hours in March.

Lepere insisted that she and Pohl had valid visas, but a customs and border protection manager mentioned in the New York Post said that the couple had tried to enter the United States “under false pretexts», In order to work, not to visit as tourists.

Lepere said he was told that the authorities were wary of their planned three -week stay in Hawaii because they had only reserved a hotel for the first part of their visit. The couple, who had traveled the world, made their cups taken, were denied the entrance and stole in Tokyo.

They found the episode of Mug Shot so absurd, said Lepere, that they were photographed smiling and laughing almost when they were photographed.

“It was just crazy,” said Lepere. “We couldn't understand it. They put us through metal detectors and our whole body was scanned. We had to stand naked in front of the police and let them check us. ”

The German government on March 18 has published a travel notice on the United States, warning on its website that US border control agents have the final decision on entry even if travelers have valid visas and added that even the slightest irregularity or offense could cause detention.

The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Johann Wadephul, called for the treatment of German tourists with “unacceptable” borders and said that he would file demonstrations with the American authorities.

As for Brösche, she said that in Loath that she should visit the United States, she did not completely exclude the possibility of coming to Los Angeles.

“I cannot forget what happened but I can forgive-and if I could arrive at the borderless hassle, I would like to see it,” she said.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.