Man's interview at US airport takes sinister turn with bizarre line of questioning
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Donald Trump's draconian stance on immigration has been causing chaos and upset both constitutionally , and on a personal level for those affected.
US Homeland Security is well-known for its rigorousness, and with tensions running high in the States, many travellers are preparing themselves for a bumpy ride.
On a recent trip to New York, Australian software engineer David Thornton duly braced himself for some cross-examination .
What he was not expecting was the bizarre turn his interview took.
Having been studying in Europe, David, 24, was on his way back home via a holiday in the US.
Things had already been strained in the immigration queue at Newark airport, with one man admitting he'd previously been refused entry to the United States.
David explained, "It was taking longer than usual, but I expected that. When I rocked up and it was my turn to talk to the Customs and Border Protection officer he asked all the regular questions. It was nothing out of the ordinary."
Speaking to news.com.au , David went on to say how the questioning was, initially, exactly what you'd expect.
He was asked what the purpose of his trip was, whether he'd visited the US before and how long he intended to stay for.
Then, just as he thought he was about to be allowed through, he was asked what he did for a living, and explained that he was a software engineer.
"He asked if I knew Python code, and I said yes. It's a programming language, like C or Java, and it's pretty standard," Thornton said.
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Then came the follow-up question.
"'I've got a problem, I'm trying to write a computer program, can you help me?'"
David was understandably taken aback and unsure of what to think.
"He started to read off his computer, and I got the feeling he was trying to trick me. I just wanted to get into the US, so I said: 'Of course'."
There was, according to David, no chance the conversation would have been overheard by anyone else in line, and he was forced to answer all the questions to what was a "literal computer science test."
"It wasn't a savant-level one like you hear of at Google, but it was definitely a test.
(Photo: AFP)
"The vibe I got was weird. He asked me a question, then asked me a follow-up question to prove I wasn't lying."
Several of David's American friends were themselves very surprised at the line of questioning he faced.
And his advice to anyone else planning on visiting the US?
"What would I say about my experience? Just make sure you study up before you enter the United States!"