Marcel “Dexter” Feldkamp, a pro gamer on the League of Legends circuit, landed in Washington on Friday on the way to a tournament in California. It’s as far as he got.
As The Daily Dot first reported, Feldkamp was detained at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. In a series of tweets, he says he first had his luggage searched, then his visa denied, then he even spent the night in a holding cell at the airport.
Just had the worst travelling experience ever. 2 flights delayed + luggage lost and im getting searched? Hope i wont have to spend the night
— Marcel Feldkamp (@MarcelFeldkamp) January 3, 2014
Visa got cancelled. On my way Home again for nothing
— Marcel Feldkamp (@MarcelFeldkamp) January 3, 2014
I also had the pleasure to spend a night in a cell. Fuck my Life
— Marcel Feldkamp (@MarcelFeldkamp) January 3, 2014
Feldkamp’s team, CLG, says they’ve got no idea why he was detained.
We don’t know why he got denied or how long till he can come back yet. His athlete visa needs to be approved before he comes back however
— Counter Logic Gaming (@clgaming) January 3, 2014
As you may remember, prominent pro gamers can now get athlete visas to enter the US; Feldkamp was originally travelling under a waiver, like many folks can on short trips, but will now have to wait and see if an application for the more formal athletes visa is approved before returning.
We contacted Feldkamp for comment and further information – specifically, why he was detained – and were told a statement via CLG is forthcoming.
German ‘League of Legends’ pro denied entry to U.S. [Daily Dot]
Comments
7 responses to “German Pro Gamer’s Visa Denied, Kicked Out Of America”
Is that Tim Heidecker?
Salame!
If he was trying to enter the country on a visa waiver and intended on competing in a professional tournament then it’s no wonder he got denied entry.
I spent a few hours in an airport holding cell with my 2 year old son (still in nappies yet unable to access my luggage with food and spare nappies for him) until they found out the reason my son had the wrong visa was because the US consulate issued him the wrong visa. Of course they wouldn’t fix the mistake, instead forcing me to leave the country and re-apply for the correct visa (around $400), all my own expense. And you couldn’t just jump on a plane and fly to an island, you had to go to a country further away that is considered ‘meaningful travel’.
The US immigration system is a steaming mess.
GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA! *Stamp*
Seriously though, Visas can be denied for a whole bunch or reasons, best wait for a clarification.
Well that sucks. Hopefully people learn more about this sort of stuff and how to avoid it. You can be denied for many reasons.
One popular story is what happened to the hired DJ for a party held by Spill.com (site closed). He wasn’t very clear about whether he arrived for business or pleasure and they sent him right back.
In my band days before we had performer visas we had business visas and entered America and had to make sure every single piece of merchandise we had was labelled “promotional use only” and they checked every bit too.
why is it called an ‘athlete visa’, he’s no athlete. A professional gamer, yes! but not Athlete. they tend to use that term loosely these days
Greek origins which meant to “compete for a prize” so I think eSports and Pro gamers fit that bill yes? The Visa part was a recent change that allowed Pro Gamers to be eligible. Thus I think it more accurate to say they tend to use that term too specifically these days.
“Hey German boy, go back to Germania!”