Spanish newly-weds held at JFK Airport over husband's common surname

Spanish newly-weds held at JFK Airport over husband's common surname
larger | smaller
By m.p. - Nov 4, 2009 - 11:57 AM
Officials suspected he could have been a South American trying to enter the country illegally

EFE archive

A newly-married couple from Lepe in Huelva had a late start to their honeymoon this week after arriving at New York’s JFK Airport and being told by officials there that they could not enter the United States until their identities were confirmed.

Jesús Vélez Alonso and his bride Cristina Prieto arrived at JFK early on Tuesday evening after their marriage last Saturday. When they reached Customs however, they had their passports withheld, were searched and were held there for four hours until confirmation came from Washington that they could be allowed in.

Their travel agents were unable to give any help and simply told the couple to remain calm and follow the officers’ instructions.

Relatives told the EFE news agency that police suspected the husband, who has a surname which is very common in Latin America, was a South American who may have been trying to enter the country illegally.

Click here for related stories

mobile |

email this article | print

printer friendly page

More Spanish Oddities

Readers' comments:
Please keep to the subject. Opinions published here are of our visitors, not the Typically Spanish team. Comments which go against Spanish laws or which are libellous are not allowed. We reserve the right to delete any comment we wish. Placing a comment indicates you have read our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Por favor, céntrate en el tema. Son las opiniones de los internautas, y no las de Typically Spanish. No está permitido verter comentarios contrarios a las leyes españolas o injuriantes. Reservado el derecho a eliminar los comentarios que consideremos fuera de tema. Escribir un comentario indica que has leído nuestros condiciones de uso y politica de privacidad.