UK Honeymoon couple detained in Los Angeles for 26 hours, eventually deported, as groom was Muslim

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When Politakis and Ali arrived at the Los Angeles airport, they were informed that they would be interviewed for only 5 minutes. Instead, they were held in detention for 26 hours before being deported

Times of Ahmad | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Al Arabiya English
By Staff writer | July 26, 2016

Authorities at the Los Angeles Airport detained two British newlyweds, on their way to their honeymoon in Hawaii, for 26 hours and deported them to London, apparently because the groom is Muslim.

The man and his bride said they were detained at the Los Angeles airport and were treated as criminals before being deported to England while on their way to a pre-paid honeymoon. That means the couple’s spending of $10,000 (7,000 pounds sterling) went down the drain.

The bride Natasha Politakis, and her husband Ali Gul, are both British. Politakis told the Daily Mail that the reason she and her husband were treated that way was because Ali is a Turkish Muslim. They arrived in the US on the first day of their honeymoon.

Ali is a real estate broker in London and runs a successful company. He is a permanent resident of London and has British citizenship that allows him to enter US territory without requiring a visa.

When Politakis and Ali arrived at the Los Angeles airport, they were informed that they would be interviewed for only 5 minutes. Instead, they were held in detention for 26 hours before being deported and took their mobile phones away from them until they were back in the UK. They were not even allowed to change their clothes, eat or drink during the 26 hour period in detention.

“I was in total shock because of what happened to us. We just got married. We were on our way to our honeymoon. We were in a complete state of euphoria. We did not expect anything bad to happen and we did not expect to be deported,” the bride said.

“They treated us as criminals, although we had all the necessary documentation and we answered all the questions they asked us,” she said.

A British citizen with a valid passport does not have to obtain a visa from the US Embassy to visit the United States. He or she only needs an entry permit through the Internet that takes a few minute to be delivered, which allows him to enter the United States for purposes of temporary visit that does not exceed 90 days.


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