CLEVELAND, Ohio – A European musician scheduled to perform concerts in the U.S. this summer – including dates in Cleveland and Kent – was detained and deported earlier this month for an improper visa.
Jaroslav Škuta, clarinetist for the chamber ensemble TrioMente, was
detained at Detroit Metro Airport on Tuesday, July 1
by Customs and Border Patrol agents (CBP) when he arrived from Prague, Czech Republic.
A Customs and Border Patrol spokesman said Škuta attempted to enter the country on a tourist visa even though he was scheduled to perform multiple events in the United States as a professional musician.
Škuta sent an email to supporters sahing border agents held him for approximately five hours, confiscated his phone and personal devices and interrogated him in a “humiliating and traumatizing” manner. He also said he was threatened with jail time.
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Škuta said that when he presented travel documents he told the border agents that the concert tour was a non-commercial and charitable endeavor.
But the agents determined that he had misrepresented the reasons for his travel – namely entering on a tourist visa while planning public performances – and sent him back to Prague.
TrioMente, which features Škuta, pianist Meng Yuan (China/USA) and violinist Dan Qiao (China/USA) canceled their entire U.S. tour – including other Ohio dates in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown.
“On July 1, as I arrived in the United States, I was detained by immigration officers at the Detroit airport,” said Škuta in the email.
“What followed was one of the most humiliating and traumatizing experiences of my life. I was held in custody for hours, with my phone and all personal devices taken away.”
Škuta said he was subjected to “aggressive, demeaning interrogation” and threats of jail, “treated with suspicion and hostility from the very beginning” and “forcibly” sent home.
Dr. Frank Wiley, music director for United Methodist Church of Kent and emeritus faculty member of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University, told Cleveland.com that TrioMente was scheduled to perform at the church on Monday, July 21.
The 35-year-old Škuta was
previously a Kent State graduate student
.
“There haven’t been any new developments that I’m aware of,” Wiley said.
“At this point, he’s not very responsive to messages. I think this has been devastating to him and it is questionable that he will come back after this [situation]. He is still in a state of shock.”
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for a comment on July 14 and received this response from
Youssef Fawaz
, a CBP agent assigned to Michigan:
“On July 1, Jaroslav Skuta arrived at Detroit Metro Airport claiming to be entering the U.S. for tourism. During inspection, it was determined he had misrepresented the purpose of his travel and was actually scheduled to perform at multiple events as a professional musician. Performing in the United States constitutes work and requires the appropriate employment-based visa. Skuta did not have the required visa, was refused entry, and returned on the next available flight.”
The statement is identical to those given to other media outlets by CBP.
