March 29, 2024

Blair flight: Mexican student arrested after unplanned landing in US

A double whammy for a young Mexican studying in Canada. First his flight had to make an unscheduled landing in the US due to problems, and then he had to spend the night in detention.

The Boeing 737 Max flight was en route from Cancun to Toronto on February 7. However, about 90 minutes later, Flair Airlines flight F82615 had to make an unscheduled landing at Fort Lauderdale due to a pressurization problem. Photos show oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling.

After landing in Florida, it took an hour for passengers to disembark from the Canadian low-cost airline. Most guests were interviewed briefly by US border officials and then received temporary visas. They were then distributed to surrounding hotels until they reached Toronto.

A night in custody

Luis Albarda acted differently. The 25-year-old Mexican is a student in Canada and was returning to Toronto. When his turn came, border officials refused him entry into the United States. He was not arrested, but held until the next Flare flight took him to Toronto.

Reason: He is said to have tried to enter the country on a visitor visa in the past. Alberta says she submitted false documents to visit her mother in the US at the time and was therefore denied the trip.

No one wants to comment

Border guards took his luggage and shoes from Alberta and took them to a locked apartment. There he had to spend the night with a second person. The next morning he was picked up in a van for a flight to Canada.

The airline shared the opposite CTV News Toronto It said it would not comment on the details of Alberta’s situation because it “does not comment on certain travelers in relation to their interactions with government agencies.” But he apologized to the student. The U.S. agency also says that Customs and Border Protection is unable to discuss a specific person’s processing/arrival in the U.S. due to privacy concerns.

Flair Airlines refunded Alberta and issued two round-trip tickets to each destination as an apology.