German tourist detained by ICE in the USA

So allegedly a German tourist with a valid visa was nicked by ICE on the US border and hasn’t been seen for 17 days. I find it bizarre that this hasn’t made it onto German media and there hasn’t been any kind of statement from the German authorities - I could understand if it was fresh but it apparently happened 17 days ago. She‘s had contact with the outside world and is ok from what I’ve read though it seems visiting the US could be potentially risky also for EU citizens now.

Have any of you heard about this?

Article translation by DeepL:

USA: German tattoo artist has been languishing in ICE prison for 17 days byGaudenz Valentin LooserDaniel Graf Published11. February 2025, 10:17

USAGerman tattoo artist has been stewing in ICE prison for 17 days

Jessica Brösche (29) travelled from Tijuana to the USA with a valid visa. She never returned from the security check at the border.

Tiktok women talk about the case of Jessica Brösche.

Tiktok What it's all about

The German tattoo artist Jessica Brösche has been in detention in an ICE camp in the USA for 17 days.

She was arrested despite having a valid visa.

According to her friend, she is accused of planning to work in the USA.

Campaigners are now warning tourists against travelling to the USA: ICE could arrest anyone.

Jessica's American friend, fashion designer Nikita Lofving, is desperate: After holidaying together in Tijuana, Mexico, they planned to travel together to Los Angeles on 25 January, where they planned to spend two months together. German tattoo artist Jessica Brösche knows Nikita from her time in Berlin and has visited her in the USA several times. This time, too, everything was actually fine: Jessica had a visa that would be valid until May 2025. But everything went wrong at the border to the USA. "Suddenly they said Jessica had to go through security. I haven't seen her since," says Nikita. That was 17 days ago.

It's not clear why she was detained. According to Nikita, ICE may believe that Jessica intended to work in the USA. This was based on an entry on Jessica's Instagram profile, which the ICE officers had checked.

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Friends of the German tattoo artist have launched a social media campaign for her release.

Screenshot Instagram Family in contact with the Federal Foreign Office

Jessica's mother Birgit Brösche, who lives in Germany, confirmed to 20 Minuten what Nikita had described: she has not yet been able to speak to her daughter. However, the family is in contact with the German Consulate General and a lawyer has now also been called in.

After agonisingly long days of uncertainty as to where her daughter had ended up, at least they now know where she is and that she is being held in a detention camp run by the American immigration authorities ICE. She is being held in a room with four other women, says Birgit Brösche. According to the ICE website, Jessica is currently being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Centre in San Diego.

According to her mother, Jessica does not have any health problems. "But she is naturally very thin. If she doesn't get enough to eat, it can quickly become problematic for her," says her mother.

Meanwhile, Nikita Lofving and other friends have launched a social media campaign for Jessica's release. They are explicitly warning foreign tourists not to travel to the USA. "It's not safe here anymore. Anyone can be arrested by ICE," says an American Tiktoker. The German Tiktoker Jen_dylan is also campaigning for Jessica's release.

When asked by 20 Minuten, the German Foreign Office said: "Our colleagues at the Consulate General Los Angeles are in constant contact with the US authorities and family members regarding the case and are endeavouring to find a solution. We ask for your understanding that we cannot comment on further details of the consular assistance in order to protect the personal rights of the persons concerned."

The American immigration authority ICE has not yet responded to enquiries from 20 Minuten.

Would you still travel to the USA after this story?

Yes, I have no reservations.no, I would think twice.maybe, but I would be more cautious.I have no plans to travel to the USA anyway.

Translated with DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/app/?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=share-translation)