Overview

• Fabian Schmidt, a German national and U.S. Green Card holder, was detained on March 7 at Boston Logan Airport over a decade-old drug infraction and held without formal charges.
• A U.S. judge ordered Schmidt's release on May 8, marking his first court hearing after 62 days in detention under harsh conditions in a Rhode Island facility.
• Schmidt alleges mistreatment during detention, including forced nudity, cold-water spraying, sleep deprivation, and being shackled in a hospital after a health collapse.
• Germany's Foreign Office has formally criticized U.S. authorities for violating Schmidt's consular access rights under the Vienna Convention and updated its travel advisories in March after similar cases surfaced.
• The case has heightened scrutiny of U.S. immigration enforcement practices, with reports of other foreign nationals, including another German, facing similar detentions and rights violations.