Letter: German teens’ ordeal is ding to state’s image | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Letter: German teens’ ordeal is ding to state’s image | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

The recent mistreatment of two German teens by immigration authorities in Hawaii is truly shameful. These two visitors to our islands were treated worse than common criminals. They were detained (likely imprisoned alongside accused criminals) and branded as guilty for presumed future violations (working without a work permit) that had not even occurred, in part because they didn’t have accommodations booked for their entire stay.

Deportation, detention of German teens visiting Hawaii raises concern

Two German teens who planned to visit Hawaii in March as part of a months-long world adventure recently told a German newspaper that they were instead handcuffed, imprisoned and deported — an account making headlines worldwide and raising concerns about the impact on tourism if some international visitors are facing heightened risks at U.S. borders. Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, told the major daily German newspaper Ostee-Zeitung in …