FALSE ACCUSATION

German Tourist Detained by ICE While Visiting Fiancée: ‘Experience Nobody Wants’

Lucas Sielaff, 25, was taken into custody by immigration officers near the San Diego border.

A German man visiting his fiancée in the U.S. has claimed he was forced to spend two weeks in immigration detention after being arrested by border officers near San Diego.

Lucas Sielaff, 25, told ABC News 10, that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers handcuffed both him and his American fiancée when they tried to enter the San Diego-Mexico border from Tijuana last month.

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“They accused me [of living] in America instead of visiting, but there was no proof that I overstayed anything,” Sielaff told the station last week from Germany.

Sielaff had been in Tijuana with his American fiancée, Dr. Lennon Tyler, because she needed to get an expensive surgery for her dog. But when they tried to return on Feb. 18 to the U.S., where Tyler lives, CBP officers raised concerns about Sielaff’s foreign passport and ordered them to undergo further screening.

“They rip my hair tie out. They do a body check. They make me open my mouth. They fingerprint me,” Tyler told the outlet. “I say, ‘Is this legal? Can I have a lawyer?’ They say, ‘You don’t have a right to have a lawyer. You’re being detained in a secure building.’”

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She said when she asked to speak to a supervisor, they shackled her to a bench for hours.

“They take me over to a bench. They chain my ankle to a bench. Hours go by. I keep asking questions. They tell me to shut up,” she explained, adding that the CBP officers were using scare tactics on Sielaff. “They use fear and confusion to control you. I’m a psychologist and that’s what was happening,” she said.

According to Tyler, Sielaff has traveled between the U.S. and Germany without issue before and has always complied with his visa.

Sielaff’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visa was canceled and was taken into custody at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.

“It was like a psychological game, and you have to tell yourself every time to be strong and be calm. It’s an experience nobody wants,” Sielaff said.

IN LIMBO

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While in detention, Sielaff was allowed to call his fiancée to ask her to book him a flight back to Germany. He was given just minutes to enter a flight confirmation on a tablet inside the detention center that inmates use to communicate with ICE officers.

Then on Wednesday evening, ICE escorted Sielaff to the San Diego airport, where he boarded a flight to Munich.

An ICE spokesperson said in a statement to ABC10: “His detention is related to the violation of the terms and conditions of his admission. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.”

This is not the first time a German national was held by ICE. Last week, Jessica Brösche was taken into custody by ICE after trying to enter San Diego from Mexico with her American friend. ICE also accused the German tattoo artist of violating her visa terms.

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