The US Immigration authorities have barred entry to Icelandic singer, Júlía Hermannsdóttir, on route to the US to tour the east coast with her band, Oyama.
Oyama was scheduled to tour Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and Boston next month, opening for the American indie-rock band Foxing. Júlía was given no reason for the decision.
“[The ESTA official] said he wasn’t authorised to tell me why I wasn’t allowed to come,” Júlia told RÚV, after spending over three hours on hold with US Immigration. “[Traveling to the US in the past] has always gone really well. I’ve never had any issues in the States before, neither broken the law or been arrested.”
Júlía adds that she’s never traveled to any of the countries listed in Donald Trump’s travel ban – which was deemed illegal by US District Judge James Robart and halted last month – so she struggles to think of a reason she might have been denied entry.
The band is planning an emergency meeting to decide the next steps. Oyama’s manager has arranged meetings with record executives in the US and Júlía admits she would have liked to attend.
Instead it looks likely the band may have to go on without her, leaving Júlía to join them in the United Kingdom for some gigs following the end of Oyama’s stateside tour. Sad!
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