Iceland’s government has asked the U.S. ambassador to explain the treatment of an Icelandic tourist who says she was held in shackles before being deported from the United States.
Quite frankly, I’m not surprised by the way this poor woman was treated. In this age of heightened border security, a person who had overstayed a visa, even a decade ago, is quite possibly perceived as a security risk by US Department of Homeland Security officials. It is rather unfortunate that she was denied access to her government’s representatives (the Icelandic consul and embassy) while she was being detained. I am rather impressed that the DHS offered a letter of apology to Ms. Lillendahl, after the Icelandic Foreign Ministry inquired on Lillendahl’s behalf.
