I feel that when people read this kind of stories they immediately connect it to Trump, but the sad truth is that this is not something new and have been happening under previous administration too. The big difference is that previous administration didn't encourage it publicly, did not issue any executive orders for it, but that didn't stop border control from acting this way. The first thing you learn about US visa is that it doesn't guarantee US admission.
Don't take it as an attempt to downplay the issue, I just think that it's important to put it in the historical context as this behaviour isn't really new.
>The first thing you learn about US visa is that it doesn't guarantee US admission
It is worth noting that this is true of every country. A visa does not guarantee entry. Your entry is ultimately at the discretion of the immigration/border officers.
Many years ago a friend of a friend complained as to how she was denied for a tourist visa to the U.S. She then proceeded to have apply for a U.K. Tourist visa and did her shopping there instead. No NPR storyline or anything. No one cared before no one cares now. Just this is the new "it" topic to talk about till the next hot thing.
Someone I know closely was banned from the US on the tail end of their H1B, because they had the bad luck of getting their phone searched, with text messages joking about marrying an ex to get an American citizenship. This was during Obama's term.
So about privacy, when ignorant people say "You should have nothing to hide" it's not about hiding things, it's about the government taking your statements out of context and using them against you with very real consequences.
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 25.2 ms ] threadhttp://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/31/british-tourists-tweets-... http://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/us-deporting-valid-visa-... http://redbus2us.com/news-us-cbp-deports-14-students-many-st... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america...
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5867829
It looks like he was later granted entrance. So maybe the previous adminstration was at least accessible and open to reason.
It is worth noting that this is true of every country. A visa does not guarantee entry. Your entry is ultimately at the discretion of the immigration/border officers.
So about privacy, when ignorant people say "You should have nothing to hide" it's not about hiding things, it's about the government taking your statements out of context and using them against you with very real consequences.