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Foreign E3 Journalists Body Searched, Deported

Posted by simoniker on from the sonic-and-mario-brandishing-rubber-gloves dept.

Thanks to Janko for pointing out a press release at Reporters Without Borders denouncing the US authorities for deporting French games journalists sent to cover E3. The complaint alleges that "..these journalists were treated like criminals - subjected to several body searches, handcuffed, locked up and fingerprinted", after arriving in Los Angeles on (arguably misleading) tourist visas to cover the E3 trade show. It doesn't seem to have been just the French, either - messageboard reports indicate at least 5 British journalists from a variety of publications had a similar treatment. Who'd have thought attending E3 could be so.. dangerous?

5 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. Jeez by rhuntley12 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    6 body searchs? That seems just a tad bit in excess, don't you think?

  2. seperate groups by visualight · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Okay, two groups of french journalists, both covering the same event, but arriving on different days, get treated like this. Might it be retribution against the French for not doing what the U.S. ordered them to do (Iraq)? It does seem like the French are being singled out.

    --
    Samsung took back my unlocked bootloader because Google wants me to rent movies. They're both evil.
  3. Re:Surprise? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    You guys are missing the point. When you come to America to work, you do so on a B-1 "visit for business" visa as opposed to a B-2 "visit for tourism" visa. Certainly it seems these guys were treated a little roughly, but it was utterly stupid of their employers not to ensure they applied for the appropriate visas.

    Really, complaining about this is like complaining about being pulled over for speeding. On the one hand, yes, it is a pretty minor offense, but on the other other hand if you break the law then it's pretty much tough luck, bud. Don't get me wrong, i've broken the law myself (drug possession etc), but if you get caught you have no leg to stand on.

  4. Re:Surprise? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    Actually, I don't understand this, as I have worked in the US on a visa waiver, and declared that I am here for business: it is allowed now (at least for UK citizens) so I do not see what they need visas for and why they were treated so.

    So I think they have every right to be complaining.

  5. Ummm... So? by PeeweeJD · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Yeah, all the body searches are over the top (if ya didn't find anything the first time...) But what is the big deal? Should "journalists" be allowed to enter a country with out the proper parperwork just because they are "journalists"?

    A couple years ago, we may have said the same thing about a bunch of people form the middle east that wanted to go to airline pilot school in Florida... We all know what happened to those guys...