Are you travelling to WSOP 25?

ICE snatching people off the street is beyond the scope of this thread. It is unlikely that someone is going to be picked up on the walkway across the Strip if they are going from Paris to Aria.

A very good option for European travelers is to change planes in Dublin, which functions as a US port of entry, one that has a much better reputation for dealing with foreign visitors than (say) JFK in New York.

Go ahead. Defend this one.

Very excited to read about all the teenage German girls working illegally in Hawaii and how the border agent was correct.

First just to make sure you understand. The reported treatment was CLEARLY excessive. While it makes for a graphic read a couple of legal issues should be made clear. They did NOT have VISA's the were traveling on ESTA documents.

The GERMAN govt warns travelers that ESTA does NOT guarantee entry "The German Foreign Office later reminded travelers that ESTA approval does not guarantee entry to the U.S. — a decision always left to border officials at the point of arrival."

Why ESTA approval doesn’t guarantee entry to Hawaii.
The ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the U.S. for short stays without a visa. However, ESTA approval permits travel to a U.S. port of entry, where border officials have the final say on whether to grant entry.

In many cases, travelers without clear lodging plans, a well-defined itinerary, or proof of sufficient funds may be denied entry. U.S. officials may also raise concerns if they suspect a visitor could be planning to work illegally or stay beyond their permitted time. Even honest answers about working remotely or being flexible with travel plans can raise additional questions that may not end well for some visitors.

In this case, the travelers said their spontaneous, flexible travel style — common in places like New Zealand and Thailand — did not translate well when entering the U.S., where stricter documentation is often expected.

Whether arriving from Germany, Canada, Australia, or anywhere else, international visitors to Hawaii must be fully prepared for the possibility of detailed questioning at the border. As these young visitors learned, ESTA is a travel authorization, not a guaranteed ticket into Hawaii.

https://beatofhawaii.com/why-these-hawaii-travelers-were-jailed-and-deported/

Beat of Hawaii

Why These Hawaii Travelers Were Jailed And Deported

Again let me repeat - the treatment was excessive and does not reflect well if the reported information is accurate. Not allowing entry and detained at the airport for a different flight would seem the appropriate course of actions if that was physically possible since the CBP agents were not satisfied with their answers.

This story about two German backpackers being detained and deported is making big news in Europe.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Yeah, travel to the US is just going to keep dropping for a long time. Can't wait to hear the contortionist excuses from American clowns ITT about how these girls are obvious criminals and terrorists who deserve to be sent to prison and strip searched for trying to travel and spend money in the US.

Your country is going to be a bigger shithole than most emerging markets before long, and it couldn't happen to a more deserving group of credulous ignoramuses.

You Americans will believe anything you hear and don't bother to read. Post one link backing up the lies you are telling here from a credible source. You are the ones who have no understanding of the current status, but your country will experience the consequences!

you're online too much.

Also lol@ at the moron who linked Khalil as an example of person deported, as if that proves anything. I'm not even right wing and even I think that Europe would do well to deport terrorism supporters.

German backpackers marginally ****ed up and the CBP agent followed the rule of law. That **** happens all over the world. Yes, most people will agree that it was an overkill. Judges dish out predictably harsher sentences shortly before lunch break, because they're hungry. Life is not fair and not everything is connected to politics.

They got unlucky that they stumbled upon strict agent, probably in a bad mood. **** like that used to happen under previous administrations as well, it also happens in other countries, it just made the news now because there is demand for those kinds of stories.

Sure, on the margins something probably changed, but poker players don't break any laws.

First of all I am a natural born U.S. citizen and our current President is a total douchebag, and our entire government is in disarray. L'Orange thinks he is a "good" guy fighting all the bad guys ala pro wrestling. I mean he really has been heavily influenced by Vince McMahon of the WWE and somewhat idolizes him and his hero Putin. Beyond disgusting is all I have to say. If left unchecked he will turn the USA into a third world country. The man is both clueless and immoral.

I used to attend the WSOP on a regular basis and play maybe 5-6 tournaments in a one week span. As I got older I played less and less. I decided to go last year and pretty much hated it. In the dead of Summer (I can remember the old days when it was in April/May - much better), sweltering heat every day. Max discomfort just to travel 15-20 minutes from my hotel to Ballys. The tourneys themselves were zoos, so damn crowded and super long lines to get in the few restrooms. Awful! It was much better at the Rio. Food prices for junk food was way over the top, a PB&J sandwich for twenty bucks and you had your choice of a small bag of chips or a rancid banana. Some good dealers but a lot of novices. One dealer we had to help with every hand! After two tournaments I went home to L.A. I voted with my wallet.

This is international news because it's never happened before. Normally, at worst they should be denied entry. They were strip searched and incarcerated. That's serious trauma for teenage girls.

This is unprecedented in my life time. Most countries are warning their citizens to avoid USA.

Their only screw up was trying to spend money in USA. If you do travel to Vegas, I would use burner electronics, don't carry much cash, don't mention poker, and for God's sake have your room booked.

I personally know a person who was held overnight in a cell (before being shipped out) a few years ago. Deservedly (he tried to buy drugs whilst in the US before)....he also didn't make the news. I know people who were held for much less in mexico or indonesia.

They offered the girls a prompt flight home. They refused and wanted to travel to a specific location. I don't see how it's CBP's job to babysit them.

Again, I agree it was an overkill, but they did admit to planning to breaking the rules. Millions cross the border every day and you're talking about rare instances that make the news. This could have easily have happened under Biden too and you wouldn't know.

Could have happened, but didn't. It's not an isolated incident. Nearly every first world country has imposed travel advisories recently.

Everyone has their head up their asses or is it just you?

Respectfully, I've read your other messages trying very hard to come up with excuses. You're a moron. Please don't explain anything to anyone else ever again. Thank you.

Only an American as stupid as you would consider ''backpacking'' not an satisfying answer.

They admitted to planning to breaking the rules? How? What did I miss?

Knew it, you Americans will never stop trying to justify the unjustifiable lmao.

#1 in the world at everything no one would want to be #1 at and blowing up (or already blown) every good advantage you had. So glad I don't live there any more.

Enjoy your expensive food and necessities and lack of access to prescriptions and everything you are used to having in abundance but is shipped in from overseas all while your economy tanks in every way possible! The rest of the world is going to eat popcorn and watch and laugh as you self immolate for no reason.

One of the only good things about the Trump presidency is that hes going to keep Euro Grinders away from the WSOP. That is amazing for someone like me who likes to play 10-15 tournaments during the series. Of course id prefer he wasnt our president, but I guess you have to take the small wins when you can?

Find the anger amusing. Regarding another country like Germany, as long as they aren’t off starting another World War I don’t think at all about who they elect or what they do.

Heck pup at least I'm not some obnoxious Ahole that makes up a new name just so he can hurl insults with no repercussions. I'm at least the same person I've been on this site for +20 years.

You do understand they didn't have standard VISA'S and were traveling on ESTA's right ? An ESTA may or may not allow entry its strictly up to the CBP officers judgement of the information provided. I think I was clear that I felt the aftermath was excessive...but pup it WAS LEGAL.

Don't like the law ? Fine, I can understand that. If you feel at risk you should NOT COME to the WSOP. Play the WSOPE instead. Oh, and although the girls say the officials twisted their words (who can know for sure) the record would show they were planning on working illegally.

"These travelers were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S. under false pretenses,” CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in a statement. “One used a Visitor visa, the other the Visa Waiver Program. Both claimed they were touring California but later admitted they intended to work—something strictly prohibited under U.S. immigration laws for these visas.”
Again believe what you care to. Don't travel here if you feel threatened. All perfectly fine. But if you choose to make sure your paperwork is in order and treat the customs officials with respect.

I've seen French customs put an Entire Airlines flight crew thru the ringer because one of the members got a bit lippy over having their bag checked and over an hour later after EVERY SINGLE item was inspected of every crew member and anything even remotely close to a technical violation confiscated did the French officials continue with the passengers (and they were fine with us just extremely pissed off with the crew) . **** happens everywhere and you better never forget that they hold all the power in those type situations. So if you decide to come have your paperwork perfect, smile, be polite, answer the questions directly and odds are you will have no problems.

Again. You are simply too stupid to talk to. Please stop trying, you were proven wrong before by multiple people and left the chat like the rat you are.

Sure pup anything you say. You can jump back in with another name and ignore the facts with that one also. Have a nice life.

Get used to it. You may not understand this, since apparently more than half the US is now functionally illiterate your education system is so bad, but the US has destroyed more than half the world. You don't need to think about other countries because they aren't invading you and staging coups and stealing your resources and killing and impoverishing people like Americans do routinely.

So yeah, much of the rest of the world is mad and hates the US and is cheering it's collapse. Your govt is telling the rest of the world not to even visit the US with these very high profile and public actions, as well as others, and we will happily bring business elsewhere.

The news is worse and worse every day. I wouldn't go because of this alone. How could I ever know any food is safe when your country is ending almost all regulations and enforcement, for example? We like having our food regulated to stop companies from poisoning us.

Yep, it's not our business who you voted for. You voted for incompetence and greed and corruption and violence and no health care or education and contaminated food and unemployment and a collapsing economy and dramatically lowered standards of living, and that's what YOU will get, not us. Your president is an international laughingstock who thinks he can bully the world, but he's so dumb all he's doing is trashing your own country. Luckily we will be able to continue to enjoy a high standard of living elsewhere.

The US is the worst, and it's thrilling for the rest of us to watch you get your comeuppance. Enjoy your smaller fields and the **** in your food, no one is envying you. We've got great series over here where the food is safe and the people aren't psychos who think throwing young tourists in prison and unidentified gestapo thugs kidnapping people off the street is cool.

It's been this way a long time, america has the biggest prison population in the world. And treats their prisoners awfully especially in places like Florida, Texas and California.

Only now they are starting to treat foreigners as poorly as they do their own citizens.

Look at all the videos of police brutality in the US, police routinely go out of their way to create problems rather than solve them.

We are already worse than emerging markets for everything except making money. Make money in the US then gtfo should be everyone's goal and should of been for some time now, this is nothing new.

I agree with a lot of what you said but the smaller fields part is just laughable. If absolutely zero euros played poker in the US that'd be a godsend. The percentage of pros vs recs for Europeans is way higher than it is for Americans.

Rolling back some ridiculous regulations is alright. I get sick everytime I travel to a new country because my body isn't used to their lackadaisical handling of food. It sounds like you probably only frequent first world countries though.

When's the last time we haven't had a laughable president? Nothing new there, there hasn't been one in my lifetime.

You have to be kidding if you think this is the first time something like this has ever happened. The government is not that well run. It's actually a little bit hard to comprehend someone being that naive.

I wrote in reference to the teenagers being strip searched and put in jail rather than being denied entry. That's new. In the past, we turned people away. We didn't torture them.

Yea a lot of what he said is true except it's not a bunch of problems that started in January- they've been going on for decades. So "you voted for this" as far as the list of things he mentioned goes is a bunch of complete and utter horseshit regardless of who anyone voted for in 2024. Education, health care, the food supply etc were all **** before Trump and they'll be **** after Trump.

As for the euros- we will have smaller fields but the ones coming over won't be the ones we want.