Couple sent back from $11k honeymoon because 'groom is Muslim'
A British couple heading off on their AU$11,500 honeymoon in the US claim they were sent home because the groom is Muslim.
Natasha Politakis, 29, and Ali Gul, 32, say they were denied entry to the US after flying there for a two-week trip to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Hawaii.
The couple, from Enfield in north London, were put on a flight home after spending 26 hours locked up in an airport detention centre.
They said they were “treated like criminals” despite having the correct travel documents and were not told the reason they were refused entry to the US.
They believe their treatment is a result of Donald Trump’s recent attempts to ban citizens from mainly Muslim nations.
“I am in utter shock that this has happened,” said Ms Politakis.
“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.
“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. As far as we knew before we left everything was fine, but as soon as we got there they wouldn’t let us in.
“We believe since Trump was elected, they took one look at Ali’s name, thought he was Muslim and didn’t let him in. We are so shocked at how we were treated.”
Mr Gul is of Turkish origin but has a British passport. He was pulled aside on arrival in LAX airport after staff examined the couple’s passports.
Neither Turkey or the UK are among the six majority-Muslim nations on the travel ban.
“They stripped us of all our possessions and didn’t let us shower, get a coffee or change our clothes for 26 hours,” said Ms Politakis.
“We had absolutely no idea what was going on. When I tried to find out, they put handcuffs on us.”
The couple were only given back their smartphones when they returned to the UK.
The pair managed to book a last-minute trip to Mexico for a replacement honeymoon, but are trying to reclaim the near $12,000 they spent on their planned US tour.
Mr Gul said he spent seven hours at the US embassy in London organising his travel documents before the trip, after having a previous issue when applying for an Esta tourist visa to go to Las Vegas for his stag do.
Newsbreak - July 27
