US Bans Tourists Over Tweets

The US has banned two tourists from entering the country after they joked about destroying America and digging up Marilyn Monroe in Twitter posts. Leigh Van Bryan (26) and Emily Bunting (24) were detained and held in a cell with Mexican drug dealers under armed guard for 12 hours after landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last Monday. Leigh had been flagged as a potential threat by the Department of Homeland Security after tweeting, “Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?”

Another tweet also garnered attention, “3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!” This is quote, however, from US hit comedy Family Guy.

After passing through passport control at LAX, the pair was detained by armed guards. They told officials that ‘destroy’ was a British slang term for ‘party’, but their passports were confiscated and they were held on suspicion of planning to ‘commit crimes’. Leigh and Emily were both quizzed for five hours at the airport before being handcuffed, put into a van with illegal immigrants and kept in separate holding cells for 12 hours before being taken back to the airport to be deported home on a flight via Paris.

Irish barman Leigh and Emily arrived on Wednesday afternoon at Birmingham Airport. She tells reporters that officials told them they weren’t allowed in the US due to a tweet from Leigh. They wanted to know what they were planning to do. They asked why they wanted to destroy America, and the pair tried to explain that ‘destroy’ meant to party and get trashed. She almost burst out laughing when they asked her if she was going to be the lookout for Leigh while he dug up the grave of Marilyn Monroe. She couldn’t believe it, as this was a quote from Family Guy, an American show.

Emily continued that it became more ridiculous when officials searched their suitcases and said they were looking for shovels and spades, while a full body search was carried out on her as well. She and Leigh just wanted to have fun on holiday, which was all he meant in the tweet. He wouldn’t hurt anybody, she added.

The apparently alarming tweet was posted on January 16 before Leigh and Emily flew to LAX on January 23. He says the incident was so ridiculous and almost funny, but it was really scary at the time. He was treated like a terrorist by the Homeland Security agents, whom he tried to explain to that the meaning of his tweet was taken wrong. They just told him that he “really f***ed up with that tweet”.

Leigh went on to describe that he was handcuffed and put in a cage, during which he had a panic attack. However, when they arrived at the prison, he was put in a cell on his own. About an hour later, two big Mexican men with tattoos started asking him who he was. They told him they were arrested for smuggling cocaine. They took the food that arrived on the tray and left him with a carton of apple juice.

After the ordeal, they were taken back to the airport and given documents stating that they were refused entry to the US. Now the pair have to apply for visas from the US Embassy in London before travelling to the US again.