German national and U.S. green card holder Fabian Schmidt was detained at Boston’s Logan airport upon re-entering the country under unclear circumstances and subjected to brutal treatment by border authorities.

Schmidt, an electrical engineer, had been returning to the US on 7 March. His mother did not hear from him until 11 March, when he was transferred to hospital after collapsing.

All of it despite holding valid documentation.

His mother told UWGBH news that immigration agents had put pressure on her son to give up his green card. He was "violently interrogated”. He had been placed on a mat in a bright room at the airport with little food or water, and denied access to his medication for anxiety and depression.

Now he is being held at a detention centre in Rhode Island.

This is the third incident with German citizens brutally detained at the US border.

Germany has now launched an investigation, demanding answers about the treatment of its citizen. The U.S. must uphold the rights of all legal residents and ensure that no one is subjected to unjust detention or abuse at the hands of border officials.

We call on the US Customs and Border Protection and U.S. government to immediately release Fabian Schmidt and launch a full investigation into the misconduct.

Sign this petition to demand justice and accountability!