‘Have you recently had an abortion?’ Australian transiting through US questioned then deported

Guardian:

An Australian woman who planned to house-sit in Canada during a holiday has said she was detained, fingerprinted, interrogated about her abortion history and quickly deported during a stopover in the US.

Madolline Gourley, a Brisbane resident, says she was treated like a criminal during her transit through Los Angeles on 30 June, where she was detained at the border due to suspicions about her intention to house- and cat-sit in exchange for accommodation while holidaying in Canada.

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At one point a US border official asked Gourley, who was wearing a loose-fitting dress, whether she was pregnant. The same question was repeated as she was moved between rooms. When she again told the US officials she was not pregnant, Gourley was asked whether she had had an abortion.

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Gourley’s is the latest horror story to emerge from Australians who have briefly transited through the US on their way to neighbouring countries.

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Watson-Brown said the Australian government needed to do more to provide clear and accurate information to Australians about visa waiver schemes of this type to ensure they were aware of the risks associated with transiting through places like the US. But she said, regardless of the rules, Gourley’s treatment was unacceptable.

“Regardless of the USA’s particular regulations regarding pet-sitting, Madolline Gourley was subjected to completely unacceptable behaviour from US border agents,” she said.

„the risks associated with transiting through places like the US.“