In a recent report by the London Times, a Scottish Citizen studying at the University of Massachusetts returning from Dublin airport to Boston was denied entry after immigration officials searched his cell phone and found pictures of him smoking marijuana back in 2015.
According to the report, the student was denied boarding on the plane in Dublin until he allowed immigration agents to inspect his phone, which included photos of him smoking what appeared to be marijuana when he was in high school in 2015.
When questioned about whether he had ever smoked marijuana, he was apparently honest and confirmed that he had smoked pot way back in 2015 and that he regretted it. However, his “admission” was all the officer needed to cancel his visa and deny him admission to the U.S.
The student, Archie Brydon could never have imagined that old photos would cost him his student visa and perhaps his opportunity to ever come to the U.S. again in the future.
This scenario is becoming more and more common in Trump’s America, where even legal immigration is discouraged and often denied. Would it have mattered if Archie had not been honest and instead said that he was smoking a cigarette and not pot? Maybe not, since these days immigration border agents are encouraged to scrutinize foreign nationals and identify any issues which may make them “inadmissible” to the U.S., for instance, those who may intend to work or live here without authorization.
So, let this be a lesson, be careful what photos and texts you save to your phone when going through inspections – U.S. immigration is watching.
For more information, visit the website at www.Immigratetoday.com and clicking on the Immigration Newsletter link in the upper left hand corner or by visiting our enewsletter site at: www.americanimmigrationcentral.com
** Contributions to this Column are made by Attorney Caroly Pedersen, Esq. of the American Immigration Law Center
