An experienced thru-hiker traveling to the US to hike the AZT last month says she was treated inhumanely and deported without justification.

It’s every international thru-hiker’s worst nightmare: training for a long hike, saving enough money for the trip, and clearing your calendar, only to be stopped at the border and turned back before ever setting foot on US soil — let alone the trail.

Seasoned German thru-hiker and Trek blogger Annika “Ravenclaw” Ananias says that nightmare came true for her — and escalated to a horrifying degree when she attempted to enter the US to hike the Arizona Trail (AZT) last month.

Ananias had expected the journey to be routine, having previously come to the US on a B2 tourist visa in 2022 and 2024 to thru-hike the PCT and CDT, respectively. But upon reaching US passport control this time, she found herself detained, interrogated, and accused of intending to work illegally in the US.

Ananias says she was separated from her American boyfriend, shouted at and mocked by US border officials, and detained overnight in a cold, shared holding cell without access to medication. After 22 hours of incarceration, the hammer fell: despite having broken no laws and holding the same valid B2 visa under which she previously hiked the PCT and CDT, she was deported back to Germany and handed a five-year ban on re-entering the United States.

  • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.worldEnglish
    24·
    16 hours ago

    From the article …

    Documents viewed by The Trek indicate that Ananias was deported and banned from entering the US for five years on February 25, despite having a valid visa. US Customs and Border Patrol declined a request to comment for this story, citing privacy concerns.

    The officer asked how she had financed her previous stays in the United States; Ananias explained about her freelance work in Germany and additional financial support from her father and offered to show bank statements. “She refused to look at them and accused me of either being a millionaire or having worked illegally. She spoke in an aggressive tone, frequently interrupted me, and repeatedly raised her voice,” said Ananias.

    The legal mechanism behind Ananias’ harrowing experience is known as “expedited removal.” Created in 1996, the statute grants broad powers to low-level border officials to unilaterally remove non-citizens from the United States without a hearing in front of an immigration judge

    Expedited removal cannot be appealed under the independent judiciary, but can be contested within the department by an individual or their lawyer through the DHS Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. As Ananias’ evidence was not properly reviewed in interrogation and her medical needs were ignored in holding, in theory she has strong grounds for review of the decision. However, it is a lengthy, complicated process, with the burden of proof on the individual.

    In light of her traumatizing experience, Ananias said she would likely not attempt to contest the ban and would steer clear of the US as long as the current climate on border security holds, for fear of going through the same thing again. “I had entered the United States multiple times without issue in the past, yet this time I was treated as a criminal,” she emphasized.