Two German travelers came to Hawaii seeking sun, sand, and spontaneous adventure. What they found instead was handcuffs, a detention center, and deportation from the U.S.—a story that, since we were the first U.S. outlet to report it, has now made headlines around the world.
But the story that unfolded in our comment section is where the real fallout lives, offering insight and emotion no one else came close to capturing. It’s for that reason Beat of Hawaii was just interviewed by CBS News Los Angeles affiliate KNX to discuss the global fallout from the deportation case and what it means for Hawaii tourism.
New revelations from Germany.
The original article detailed how 18-year-old Maria and 19-year-old Charlotte arrived from New Zealand, planning to backpack across Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. But new reporting from Germany’s Ostsee-Zeitung—a respected regional paper in their hometown of Rostock—adds critical context.
According to that newspaper, after hours of questioning in a Honolulu back room, the young women were escorted—without being told their destination—to what turned out to be a deportation jail. There, they were strip-searched, issued green prison uniforms, and held overnight in a shared cell with other detainees. They were ultimately returned not to Germany, but to Japan at their request.
The women told that publication they had proof of funds, a valid ESTA, and a booked return flight from the mainland. What they lacked was a pre-booked Hawaii itinerary—still standard for at least some young backpackers, but flagged as suspicious by U.S. border officials.
Additional details just shared in a German magazine further challenge some assumptions. According to that report, the travelers had booked lodging for their initial Hawaii nights, showed bank statements to officials, were already enrolled in university for the upcoming term, and held tickets to California to visit family. They also claimed the interrogation transcript misquoted them—changing “travel and visit family” into “work for accommodation and pocket money.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the travelers were denied entry—not deported—based on suspicions they intended to work illegally during their stay. Officials cited their lack of pre-booked accommodations for a five-week trip as contributing to those concerns. CBP emphasized that while the travelers held valid ESTA travel authorization, such approval does not guarantee entry, which is ultimately determined by border officials at the port of arrival, in this case Honolulu.
Shock, sympathy, anger, and something deeper.
The hundreds of comments we received showed just how strongly readers around the world reacted—and how far-reaching the implications of this story may be.
Many expressed disbelief that two young tourists from a wealthy European country could be treated so harshly. Tim H wrote, “It’s difficult to imagine what national security threat was perceived by CBP from these two young women.”
Marie added, “I traveled to the US 10 years ago, and it was already exactly like this. The arrogance and rudeness of US Border staff always stunned me.”
Rhonda C said, “It’s heartbreaking to see the damage the current US administration is doing to one of our favorite places to visit—Hawaii. It’s definitely not the Aloha spirit that envelops Hawaii in normal times.”
But not everyone agreed. Jonas L, writing from the EU, defended the process: “These rules have been in place for decades…If this was 1998 or 2005, the same thing would have happened.”
He noted that during his recent trip to the U.S., having a clear itinerary and documentation made for a smooth experience.
Others, including regular commenter Kyle S, questioned why anyone would travel without a plan at all: “Who on Earth goes to a foreign country that doesn’t speak your native language without booking hotels?”
For some, the reaction wasn’t about cruelty or injustice, but about the enforcement of long-standing travel norms.
Rather than finding consensus, the comments revealed just how divided people are—not only about what happened in Honolulu, but about what kind of travel feels safe, fair, and possible in the United States right now.
“We’re not coming anymore” – Hawaii travel plans canceled.
While the national media focused on the political flashpoints, our readers zeroed in on something else entirely: canceled Hawaii trips, second thoughts, and lingering sadness about this special place that many had always dreamed of visiting.
Rhonda C shared, “We have cancelled our annual month-long visit this year—mostly out of protest, but also because of the growing unease.” Loes added, “Visiting Hawaii has been on my bucket list for over 40 years. It no longer is.”
Across hundreds of comments, one thing stood out—no one said this made them more eager to visit Hawaii. And with Hawaii’s economy still reliant on international visitors, particularly from Japan, Canada, Australia, and Europe, stories like this risk creating lasting reputational damage.
How a country divided looked towards Hawaii.
The comments also highlighted how deeply split the public is on this issue, among others. Alice L, focused on the treatment: “If they don’t want them to enter the U.S., just let them wait at the airport. No need to humiliate.”
Another reader, Adrian, offered a more personal take: “I used to visit several times a year for work or holidays, and I have a deep love of your country. At the moment, I don’t think I will ever return. I prefer to remember it the way it was.”
In contrast, Mike C pushed back: “If it were rampant, don’t you think you would have heard more? If you don’t like Trump and don’t want to visit, that is fine.”
Hawaii Travel dreams meet border rules.
At the heart of this story is more than just policy—it’s a culture clash. In much of the world, especially Europe, spontaneous, long-term travel appears to remain a rite of passage. Booking lodging as you go may still be a common practice for some. In the U.S., that same behavior can now appear risky, however.
“These girls were circumnavigating the globe,” wrote Thomas H. “Young, curious, from a wealthy country—not fitting the ‘burden on paradise’ profile.”
And yet, under the U.S. security lens, border officials often default to caution—even at the cost of public goodwill.
Does Hawaii send mixed signals?
Hawaii welcomes the world with a smile in its ads—but for at least these travelers, that greeting ended at immigration. Cheryl asked, “What happened to aloha?” while Niles questioned, “No one should be strip-searched and jailed for visiting Hawaii without a hotel reservation.”
For a state that depends on tourism for more than one-quarter of its economy, incidents like this, so widely disseminated, quietly undermine the image Hawaii works hard to project. Some readers said they now see a contradiction between Hawaii’s warm, welcoming exterior and the cold reality that these international visitors faced on arrival. Others pointed out that even if the policies are federal, the perception sticks to Hawaii—and that matters.
A lasting impact is still unfolding.
Since publishing our original article nearly two weeks ago, we have continued to receive more comments—many thoughtful, some heartbreaking, and a good number too toxic in either direction to publish. They came from across the globe, from seasoned Hawaii travelers and first-time visitors alike. Hawaii always strikes a cord and this remains true now.
The story may have started with two young women and a denied entry. But the fallout continues—with Hawaii’s image, its economy, and the way the world perceives travel to the islands and the U.S. all on the line.
Has this changed how you see Hawaii travel? Will you still visit? Let us know.
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I again make the comment that that tourists visiting Hawaii hotels and rental condos are charged an often hidden GET, TAT and 3% stay taxes about to increase to 19% on arrival, which is often more than 25% of their nightly room charge. Our 2-3 week condo says on Kauai have all but dried up; instead we now get a typical 3-4 night stay on usually booked AirB&B multi state visits, with $125 per stay cleaning charge when these very short term rentals absorbed by the renter, increasing our overhead and annual income.
Out of state condo rental owners property taxes have jumped to 100% of often drive by new property values. Ours have jumped from $12,000 to $16,000 in annual payments; over a 2 year period, ours jumped into the past Our annual HOA fees have jumped from $1950 to $2850, largely because of skyrocketing insurance rates. On those who have to pay mortgages (currently 7% rates), the monthly overhead has now risen to a level discouraging recent purchasing reducing selling prices.
I feel compelled to acknowledge my respect I have for the Hawaiian People. I find the Native Hawaiians are gracious kind friendly people. I can only imagine how it must be to be bombarded with tourists on a constant basis. In some cases too much money and not enough brains. Add alcohol to the mix and sometimes tourists outstay their welcome. I met a young woman on Waikiki Beach in 87 and we have now been married for 34 years. We travel to Hawaii from Vancouver once a year without fail and always enjoy the hospitality and the people of the Hawaiian islands. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy our annual trips and to continue to experience the Aloha spirit. Love you Hawaii.
I’m absolutely amazed at this.Hawaii has a universal reputation for its friendliness and hospitality.If the border and customs staff were Hawaiians, why did they behave in a way that’s so uncharacteristic of their fellow islanders,and even lie about what the German girls said?
Don’t they realise that this behaviour will severely damage the Hawaiian tourist industry?
These agents may not have lived in Hawaii long and/or are impervious to its culture.
Americans are going to have to address the cruelty of these people who really don’t care of others live or die.
Hawaii is one of the most special places on the planet. These agents need to be made to do some restorative justice.
Traveling to Hawaii has been in our family’s heritage for three generations. We are stunned that the girls from Germany were treated in such an offensive manner by U.S Customs.
This, however, is not representative of the people of Hawaii. We have always felt the warmth of the Island culture and care given to us when we both lived there or visited. Aloha still reigns.
Rob and Jeff,
Your article on this event was just cited in this morning’s “The Free Press TFIG,” which in case you do not know is a Substack with thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of followers.
(Paywalled)
thefp.com/p/tgif-vladimir-stop?utm_campaign=email-post&r=f163f&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Well, I thought links are not allowed on this site and when I clicked, I didn’t see anything related to BOH.
Rules are rules in all countries. Check everything out thoroughly before you embark. I’m traveling to the UK this summer and I had to fill out an ETA application and had to be approved before I can enter the country. In 2022 I had to show proof of having a COVID booster with a certain time of entering Peru, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to enter. I didn’t want another booster so soon, but rules are rules. If you don’t want to do that, then don’t go. Safety first for all.
Rules are rules – correct. But throwing two young tourists into prison together with serious criminals is a whole different matter. However, this issue will resolve itself. All over the world, people are currently witnessing this antisocial American behavior, and the simple result will be that, out of the 70 million tourists per year, only a fraction will keep coming.
There is no requirement to have a fully booked itinerary and l believe them when they say CBP lied about them working for pocket money to justify the shameful way they acted. CBP has been caught lying and falsifying records after arresting even US citizens off the streets. Governor Green, if he had any political courage, which he doesn’t, would denounce this awful behavior.
I agree with some of the comments. I live in Australia and our family was considering a trip to Hawaii this year but with the increasing stories of overly aggressive border agents we won’t risk it. We will go to Fiji instead.
Our loss, but I don’t blame you. Have friends who went it Fiji and absolutely loved it.
I think this story has traction because, in part, it fits the anti tourist narrative that Hawaii has created for itself through *show respect” advertising and do not visit Maui celebrity statements when the Lahaina fire was a global headline.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection shed more light on the situation in a statement Wednesday:
“These travelers were denied entry after attempting to enter the U.S. under false pretenses. 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.”
In the story they claim the immigration officials changed their statement. They didn’t say they intended to work, it seems this is becoming common practice to write down whatever they want to justify their actions.
I served in the US Army in Germany in 1975 and 1976. The German people were especially gracious and consistently helpful in sharing their castles and country with me…the food was different…yet delicious! I once walked my skiis off my Wildflecken base and stuck my thumb out to hitchhike. The second car picked me up, put my skiis in their rack, and drove out of their way to drop me off for a day of skiing at a smaller ski area. How can I repay this? It alarms me that our ally German youth were deported like this. My country did the unthinkable here – what thugs are running our borders?!
Unfortunatley, it’s getting worse. My very 1st boy-friend from Germany (I grew up there) found me through the internet after 25 years without contact and we have now been in a long distance relationship for some years. His 1st flight was to the US to visit me and he has been coming frequently and although he never stays as long as his ESTA visa would allow it (he is also in the traveller trust program), he had a couple of unpleasant TSA agents with offensive questions that I cannot put here, but nothing like these young people have experienced. This is the 1st time he has not booked his next flight (I plan to go to Europe instead) and all my other European friends or relatives have already told me they are no longer planning to come to the US.
Eva B, yes Hawaii is not big on annexations. I never realized a Brit and a German were involved with the Dole overthrow and subsequent annexation.
Colin, I am not sure about Oahu as I am not a biker but a buddy of mine rented a Harley from the dealer on Kauai and had a fantastic time. Traffic in the holidays is horrible though and many visitors forget to pack their driving brains when they come so you can come across some very strange behavior (stopping on blind curves to take a picture for example)…