A Chinese woman had planned only to travel to the United States and visit friends. However, upon arrival, she was taken to a secondary inspection room. She was ultimately denied entry and sent back, while her 10-year U.S. tourist visa was revoked on the spot.
The woman explained that she first entered the United States via San Francisco on a tourist visa last year. During her stay, she took on a few days of temporary work introduced by a friend, simply hoping to earn some pocket money. She never expected that when she tried to re-enter the U.S. through Los Angeles one year later, customs officers would check her WeChat messages, find conversations about work she had done in the U.S., and determine that she had violated the terms of her tourist visa.
She recalled that her first entry had gone smoothly, with officers asking few questions. She stayed in the U.S. for about three months before returning to China.
This June, she traveled to the U.S. again on the same tourist visa, planning to sightsee and visit friends. After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, however, she was taken aside by customs officers for secondary inspection.
The officers questioned her in detail about the purpose of her current trip, her travel plans, and her activities during her previous stay in the United States.
To her surprise, the officers asked her to unlock her phone and open WeChat so they could review some of her messages. She complied without giving it much thought. The officers found conversations in which she had discussed work arrangements with friends and a temporary employer during her previous U.S. stay, prompting further questioning.
She admitted that during her last visit, a friend working in home care had offered her temporary work. Because it lasted only a few days, she agreed to help. “I knew I was not permitted to work on a tourist visa, but I didn’t take it seriously at the time. I thought a few days of casual work for little money would not cause any problems,” she said.
Ultimately, U.S. Customs determined that she had engaged in unauthorized employment with a tourist visa. Her visa was revoked, she was refused admission, and arrangements were made for her return.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), searches of electronic devices are not a required part of every secondary inspection and are conducted on a case-by-case basis. CBP’s latest statistics show that it processed more than 419 million travelers at U.S. ports of entry in the 2025 fiscal year, of whom around 3% were referred for secondary inspection.
