Olympic Spirits on ICE

This article appears in the February 2026 issue of The American Prospect magazine. Read more from the issue.

Donald Trump made the United States a bad place to visit the second he got back into office.

German citizens Jessica Brösche, 29, and Lucas Sielaff, 25, were among the first tourists he locked up. Brösche was carrying tattoo equipment when she reached the California-Mexico border last February 18; agents decided she intended to work illegally. Sielaff spoke little English...