A British woman says she believes she and her husband were prevented from enjoying their dream Hawaiian honeymoon because her groom is Muslim.
Natasha Politakis, 29, and husband Ali Gul, were headed for the Pacific island on their $9,130 trip when they were detained by authorities in Los Angeles, before being put on a plane back to the UK.
Gul, who is of Turkish origin, was described in the MailOnline as a “successful estate agent.”
Despite having the relevant paperwork, including a visa for the US, they were told they would be interviewed for “five minutes,” but according to the report they were held for more than a day.
“I am in utter shock that this has happened. We had just got married, we were on our way to our honeymoon as excited as anything and never expected that we would be deported,” Politaksi said.
“We were treated like criminals and we had all the relevant documentation and answered all their questions. It’s not okay to treat people like that.”
She said she was convinced that with Donald Trump in power, the immigration officers “took one look at his name, thought he was Muslim and didn’t let him in.”
She said that when they asked why they were being questioned officers handcuffed them and confiscated their phones.
They did not get their phones back, she said, until the plane landed in the UK.
British passport holder, Gul, told the website that his business partner had previously applied for eight Estas, the visa issued to Britons traveling to the US, for his stag-party but all were rejected.
He said he had eventually been granted a 10-year visa, but this was canceled after the ordeal and they eventually got their passports back with a stamp that read: “Refused in accordance with INA section 217.”
But added: “I didn’t ask for the 10-year visa, I just wanted to go on this holiday but I assumed it was the right one.”
The experience has left the newlyweds $9,130 out of pocket.
The website added that it had tried to contact the US embassy about the incident, but had not received a response.
