British couple on honeymoon detained in US in a suspected targeting of Muslim husband
The newlywed couple was detained at a US airport for 26 hours and then deported. Photo: SWNS
(Web Desk) - A newlywed British couple had to suffer through a nightmarish experience before embarking on their honeymoon as they were detained at a US airport and later deported.
Natasha Politakis, 29, and Ali Gul, 32, spent £7,000 for a two-week trip to Los Angeles, Hawaii and Las Vegas but their trip was abruptly cut short before it even started as they were locked up inside an immigration detention facility at Los Angeles airport for 26 hours, The Independent reported.
When they arrived at the airport they were told that they would be interviewed for five minutes but they were locked up for more than a day. The couple was handcuffed, marched to a plane and flown back to London without any explanation from the authorities. They said the authorities had all of their possessions confiscated and were only given their phones back when they were back on British soil.
In light of the recent travel ban imposed by US President Donald Trump, the couple suspect’s that this incident took place because of Gul’s Turkish heritage, although he holds a British passport and is a British citizen.
You just know they re not white without even checking the article https://t.co/HsV18SJGQv
— Lauritz Von G (@NearFutureEvent) July 26, 2017
The US airport security has been criticised for targeting Muslims and people from other ethnic minorities without providing a reasonable explantion.
The couple, from Enfield in North London, had two weddings earlier this year – a registrar wedding in April for Ali’s Turkish family, and then a big church wedding with a reception at the Mariott on May 6.
They left for their honeymoon two weeks later. owever, the only souvenirs they’ve brought back are stamps in their passports stating that they were ‘refused in accordance with INA section 217’, and a loss of £7,000 not to forget the trauma of experiencing the whole incident.
A stamp on Ali Gul s passport showing that he has been refused entry in US. Photo: SWNS
There have been several cases similar to theirs, as security policies across US airports have become rigid and the authorities have been criticised for targeting Muslims.
“I am in utter shock that this has happened,” Politakis told The Sun. “We had just got married, we were on our way to our honeymoon as excited as anything and never expected that we would be deported.
“We were treated like criminals and we had all the relevant documentation and answered all their questions. “It’s not okay to treat people like that.”
Gul and Politakis have been told to contact the US embassy in order to file a complaint, but they’ve struggled to get an appointment. The couple managed to book a last-minute holiday to Mexico instead, and is now in the process of trying to get their money back from their insurance.
Later, the US Embassy said: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) welcomes more than a million passengers arriving to the United States every day." "The religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveler are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the U.S."
