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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A green-card holder who was detained for more than 2 months said his treatment while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody was "horrendous."
Fabian Schmidt, a New Hampshire resident and electrical engineer, was released on May 8 after being detained by federal authorities.
Schmidt, who has had a green card since 2008 after moving to the U.S. from Germany in 2007, was taken into custody at Boston Logan International Airport in March upon returning from Luxembourg, he said. He later was transported and held in a Rhode Island detention facility.
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"It was degrading, it's dehumanizing. It is horrendous," Schmidt told GBH News. "People shouldn't be treated like that, especially when they're in distress."
Newsweek has contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP for comment.
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Why It Matters
Schmidt's case comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration. People with valid documentation—including green cards or visas—have been detained and face legal jeopardy. President Donald Trump has pledged to remove millions of migrants without legal status as part of his flagship immigration policy.
A green-card holder has the right to live permanently in the U.S., provided they do not commit any actions that "would make you removable under immigration law," according to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A green card can be revoked if the recipient breaks U.S. laws or does not pay taxes.
What To Know
The 34-year-old recounted arriving at Logan and presenting his recently renewed green card to a CBP officer. He was then directed to a room for questioning.
"As soon as I stepped foot in there, I started getting violently interrogated, verbally abused," he said.
According to his family, Schmidt has no ongoing legal issues, though he faced a misdemeanor charge in 2015 for allegedly having marijuana in his vehicle. The charge was dismissed following changes in cannabis laws. His family said that Schmidt missed a court hearing related to the case in 2022 because the notice was not sent to his correct address.
Schmidt recalled being questioned about his past legal issues, including a 2016 drug-related offense in California that was eventually dismissed and a DUI from the same year that led to fines and a probation sentence.
He alleged that authorities conducted a strip search, confiscated his smartwatch, and refused to let him contact a lawyer, the German consulate or his family. The interrogation that followed, he said, focused on personal and financial details, such as the balance in his bank account, his parents' professions and their place of residence.
"He told me I was a flight risk and that he was scared that I would enter through a southern border," Schmidt said. "I tried reminding him that I'm from Germany, I have a good family, none of us would ever sneak into a border, nor do I need to sneak into the border. I'm a legal permanent resident that's lived here for 18 years."
At Logan, Schmidt said he was given a thin mat to sleep on, a cup of noodles with cold water, and a water bottle. Just over three hours later, he was awakened for additional questioning. Schmidt recalls that it was around the third day when agents told him he needed to take a shower. Feeling feverish and unwell, he declined, saying he didn't want to shower without a towel, fearing it would worsen his condition.
"They didn't care. Two men brought me to this back room, made me strip down naked and tossed me into this freezing cold shower and then gave me a camping towel," he said, describing it as something you couldn't "dry an infant in."
Schmidt told GBH News that he eventually fainted while on his way to the bathroom, recalling the moment he collapsed and hit the ground hard. When he regained consciousness, he informed an agent that he needed to be taken to a hospital.
Schmidt said he was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was treated for the flu and a high fever while handcuffed to the bed. Despite a doctor's recommendation for rest and recovery, he was returned to the airport holding area, where he spent another 18 hours. Initially told he might be released with a court date, Schmidt instead learned he would be transferred to a detention facility. He was then placed in a secluded cell with unsanitary conditions.
A few days after being detained, Schmidt said he was transported in shackles to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.
Along the way, he said CBP agents mocked him and made inappropriate comments. At Wyatt, Schmidt said, he was placed in a cell with a man reportedly charged with murder but noted that staff there acted professionally, unlike at the airport. After nearly two months in detention, Schmidt received word that he would be released. He was transferred to an ICE processing center in Burlington, Massachusetts, where his partner was waiting.
"She [Bhavani] ran into my arms," Schmidt said. "I was just ecstatic as I finally got to hug her. It was a big moment to breathe fresh air and to have your partner back."
Several green-card holders have been released from ICE detention in recent weeks. Critics argue that the Trump administration's detention and deportation policies frequently fail to provide adequate due process protections. Supporters maintain that the administration's crackdown is essential to remove people with criminal records.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs Hilton Beckham told Newsweek in March: "These claims are blatantly false with respect to CBP."
Fabian Schmidt's partner, Bhavani Hodgkins, in Facebook post: "Thank you all for the support, kindness, generosity. We are OVERWHELMED with love!"
Fabian Schmidt told GBH News: "Once you've had such a traumatic experience, it kind of comes with...I would say some sort of postpartum scares and stuff like that, so I'm still very, like, shook. That's the best word."
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