Woman forced to strip in front of immigration officers
The incident took place at the Honolulu airport
A 26-year-old Australian woman has claimed that she was forced to strip in the US in front of the immigration officers before being locked behind bars.
Molly Hill and her boyfriend Ross Maidl were heading to Hawaii for a holiday. The incident took place at the Honolulu airport.
Picture via Daily Mail
According to the Daily Mail, the officers decided she was planning to overstay her visa after reading notes in her diary about her “last day at work”.
She was made to undress and squat after being grilled for nearly six hours. Later, she was made to spend a night in jail.
“I still can’t believe it, it all feels so surreal,” she said, adding that the nightmare unfolded when customs saw she planned to stay in the US for 88 days and began combing her luggage in a holding room.
“They were convinced I wanted to immigrate illegally. They searched my luggage, and saw my diary had notes like “going away drinks” and “last day at work”. This is normal before a long holiday,” she said.
She told Daily Mail that she was given a “full screening” – which entails being made to strip down, put her clothes in a box, then “cough and squat” in front of them.
After spending a night in prison, she was made to buy a ticket to Sydney even when she already had her return tickets done.
“They didn’t explain why I couldn’t use the return ticket. By that point, I was so exhausted I just wanted to get home.”
She said she is planning to speak with an immigration lawyer about the ordeal.