A German national and US green card holder, Fabian Schmidt, was detained by US immigration authorities upon his return to the country on March 7. Schmidt, 34, who has lived in the United States since his teens and currently resides in New Hampshire, was stopped at Logan International Airport in Massachusetts after returning from Luxembourg, reported Newsweek.
His family says he was stripped naked, "violently interrogated," and later transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.
Stripped naked by ICE
Schmidt's mother, Astrid Senior, expressed deep distress over the incident. "I'm feeling shaken up. It's unbelievable what's happening now," she told the Boston Globe.
"It was just said that his green card was flagged," Senior told WGBH. She said her son was "violently interrogated," stripped naked by immigration officials and put into a cold shower.
Senior explained that her son Fabian Schmidt’s green card had legally been reissued in 2023 after he lost his previous one. Despite this, it was flagged when he tried to reenter the United States.
ICE referred inquiries to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which declined to disclose specific details about Schmidt's case, citing federal privacy laws. "If statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal," said Hilton Beckham, CBP's assistant commissioner of public affairs.
Outrage on social media
{{/usCountry}}ICE referred inquiries to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which declined to disclose specific details about Schmidt's case, citing federal privacy laws. "If statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal," said Hilton Beckham, CBP's assistant commissioner of public affairs.
Outrage on social media
{{/usCountry}}Schmidt's case is part of a growing trend of legal permanent residents of the US being detained at airports under increased immigration scrutiny. The case has sparked outrage online, raising questions about enforcement and misuse of immigration laws.
President Donald Trump campaigned on enforcing stricter immigration policies, initially focusing on undocumented individuals with criminal records. However, in recent weeks, reports have surfaced of green card holders and individuals with valid visas facing similar treatment.
“So they just tortured some German guy for no reason?” asked one X user.
“Make no mistake this isn’t about protecting our national security, this is simply the Trump admin’s xenophobic agenda,” another opined.