HT Exclusive | Indian woman left 'unsettled' by US airport ordeal, 'Held alone, gifts searched, bank balance asked'
In a conversation with HindustanTimes.com, an Indian woman who travelled to Ohio narrated how she was held in a room and interrogated at the Cincinnati airport.
Several people travelling to the United States have reported increased scrutiny at airports, with some claiming they are being subjected to random searches, according to USA Today. While immigration authorities may not be breaking the law by extensively searching travellers, the experiences have left individuals unsettled.
In a conversation with HindustanTimes.com, an Indian woman who recently travelled to Ohio from India narrated her ordeal at Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, was on her way to visit her sister, who had just given birth to a baby girl in Ohio.
The 29-year-old woman, a working professional in India, said she was detained at the airport after an initial round of questioning about her background, occupation, and travel details. “I was asked to wait in a room, completely alone,” she said. “An officer arrived and began a more intense interrogation, asking about my bank balance, why my husband wasn’t accompanying me on this trip, when I would return to work, and what my address in the US would be. He noted down every answer, his tone laced with suspicion.”
The woman stressed that she appeared to be the only one to be scrutinised, while others were allowed to smoothly move ahead, even though there was nothing visibly suspicious on her. “The officer proceeded to search my checked-in bags thoroughly, including my personal belongings, gifts for my baby niece, and other items. Another officer soon joined him, and they examined everything in meticulous detail. Despite the extensive scrutiny, they found no reason to hold me further and eventually allowed me to proceed,” she said.
“The entire experience was distressing, humiliating, and absolutely not what I had expected after traveling for 24 hours. I was left in shock, wondering why I had been subjected to such an ordeal. The encounter shook my confidence and left me deeply unsettled,” she added.
‘Made up my mind that I would visit my family anywhere but in the US’
The woman said that although she is not certain that she was checked more than others because she was Indian, it could be a possibility. She added that the experience left her feeling uncomfortable, and that she has decided never to travel to the US again.
“The moment I was held in that room alone, I made up my mind that I would visit my family anywhere but in the US. This was my first trip to the US, and such an unexpected and intimidating interrogation soured the experience from the beginning,” she said.
She added, “Even during my stay, I constantly felt nervous – like I could be questioned or detained at any moment for reasons unknown to me. I was extremely cautious in public places, always feeling scared. The experience has made me hesitant about ever traveling to the US again.”
Several reports of immigration officers detaining US-bound tourists at the border have surfaced, sparking fear among people planning to travel to the US. Earlier this year, an Indian couple visiting their children in the US were denied entry at Newark Airport as they did not have return tickets. The couple had travelled on B-1/B-2 visitor visas and had planned to stay for five months, and were told by immigration officials upon arriving that a return ticket was mandatory under the new 2025 regulations. They were sent back to India directly from the airport.
