Two Brits Detained In US, Sent Home Over Twitter Jokes

If you plan to travel into the United States from another country you might want to think twice before you tweet jokes about destroying American. That’s the lesson that was learned this week by Leigh Van Bryan.

The 26-year-old Brit tweeted:

“Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America.”

After landing in Los Angeles Leigh was questioned by Homeland Security and explained that “destroy” is slang for partying but officials didn’t buy that explanation and sent them packing.

In another Tweet Van Bryan and his companion Emily Bunting were apparently going to find the body of Marilyn Monroe, in quoting a line from Family Guy he wrote:

“3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA p****** people off on Hollywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!”

In what was a direct joke from a cartoon officials still didn’t believe him and then searched through his luggage for shovels and spades while the Brits were handcuffed for five hours and interrogated.

After the interrogation they were supervised by guards for 12 hours before their passports were confiscated and they were sent back to Europe.

If they were deported from the United States for a family guy joke posted on Twitter I wonder how the cartoons creator Seth MacFarlane manages to travel anywhere in the world. Perhaps Homeland Security will deport him to a foreign country next.

Do you think Homeland Security went to far in the questioning and deportation of two British citizens who were obviously just telling a few Twitter jokes?