An Australian woman has led a chorus from locals who claim they are reconsidering travelling to the United States after two tourists were strip-searched at the airport.
Remi Meli said in a TikTok video she is considering canceling her planned trip to New York City in December, after hearing stories of tourists being detained.
Her video comes just days after reports surfaced about two German teenagers who were held while trying to enter Hawaii.
Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, told a German news outlet that upon arrival at Honolulu Airport, they were subjected to full body scans and strip searches.
They were then placed in a holding cell overnight before being deported back to Germany.
The duo had not booked accommodation for the entirety of their trip, something that triggered a red flag for customs agents.
The clip, captioned ‘manifesting NYC Christmas magic, not an interrogation room’, received a flurry of comments.
Aussie social media users shared they had cancelled their US trip over similar concerns.
Remi Meli said in a TikTok video she is considering canceling her planned trip to New York City in December, after hearing stories of tourists being detained
‘Was meant to be going to NYC in December too, we have cancelled. The safety is a concern but also the dollar declining, it will be crazy expensive,’ one person said.
‘Not going to lie, you couldn’t pay me to travel to the US anytime soon,’ commented another.
Another user referred to the Trump Administration’s ongoing deportations of alleged illegal migrant criminals to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
‘Is it truly worth the risk of an El Salvador situation?’ they asked.
However, others shared that they had recently traveled to the US without any issues.
‘Nope, I’m still going. You gotta stop listening to social media,’ one person said.
‘I’m an Australian and I just travelled to NY and LA a few weeks ago and was fine,’ another added.
Ms Meli said she was surprised by the overwhelming response, particularly from women
‘I’m leaving today. Just fear mongering. US has been strict about entry since 9/11. I can’t wait to go,’ another said.
Ms Meli told Daily Mail Australia she is still undecided about whether she will travel later this year.
‘I made the video just sharing some genuine concerns I had about traveling to New York as an Aussie,’ she said.
‘I never expected it to gain so much attention, and while the responses have been really mixed.
‘My intention was never to spread fear or misinformation – just to be honest about something that’s been on my mind.’
Ms Meli said she was surprised by the overwhelming response, particularly from women.
‘It definitely made me pause and think,’ she said.
In the past 12 months to March this year, the number of Australians visiting the US had fallen by 8 per cent, the sharpest drop since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two German teens were deported after being detained in Hawaii (stock image)
Other countries have seen an even larger decline, with German visitors falling by 28 per cent and the UK by 14 per cent.
Jared Mondschein, director of research at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, said the decline of tourism to the US was harming its economy.
He noted that although the Trump Administration’s tariff agenda drew the most attention, it was services that would suffer the greatest impact.
‘The impact of a decline in both tourists and students is economically challenging for the United States,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
He noted that while concerns over border crackdowns intensified during the Trump administration, similar actions have occurred under Democratic administrations.
‘The fact that we are seeing headlines about this is not unprecedented,’ he said.
In 2022, under the Biden administration, Victorian student Jack Dunn was detained and deported after arriving in the US, due to issues booking a return flight home.
‘I know this has happened before, and even if a Democrat were to take office in the next administration, it could happen again in the future,’ Mr Mondschein said.
The Australian Government’s SmartTraveller website has warned Aussie tourists heading to the US to ‘exercise normal safety precautions in the USA’.
It warns that ‘US authorities have broad powers to decide if you’re eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law.’
And Australians are urged to ‘ensure [they] understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States.’
