“Like a Horror Movie” says German ICE detainee Jessica Brösche

U.S. Immigration Detention Turns German Tourist’s Trip into a Nightmare

In a striking display of the U.S. immigration system's inconsistencies, a 26-year-old German tattoo artist, Jessica Brösche, finds herself indefinitely detained in a San Diego immigration facility, while convicted fraudster Anna Delvey—also a German citizen—openly defies deportation and enjoys freedom in Manhattan.

Brösche arrived legally in the U.S. on January 25, 2025, via the Visa Waiver Program, intending to collaborate on art projects in Los Angeles for a month. However, at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, Customs and Border Protection officers flagged her—without evidence—as intending to work illegally. Instead of being allowed to return to Berlin on her booked flight, she was sent to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, a private facility long criticized for alleged human rights violations. Ironically, Brösche had a return ticket to Germany before she arrived in the United States.