B2 Couple Denied Boarding to US: Airline Error?

Even a stamped US visa is no guarantee anymore, as an elderly couple was recently flagged at an airport despite having an approved B2.

A social media user recently shared that his in-laws from Brazil, who had obtained visitor visas just a month prior, were stopped at the airport and denied boarding on their flight to the US. The airline claimed “issues with the visa” but refused to explain further when asked.

As the US embassy is closed for the weekend the couple has no choice but to delay their visit. They claimed it was their first time travelling to the US and they had a return ticket as well.

There were no overstays, no suspicious activity. Yet, they were treated like a threat.

This isn’t an isolated case. Even after visa approval, many are now being flagged by the airline systems, often due to last-minute revocations or “post-issuance reviews” quietly done by US authorities.

Airlines are just blindly following automated alerts from the US system. Ground staff don’t know what’s wrong, and thus passengers are also kept in the dark.

This has sent other people into panic. A worried daughter asked if her mom’s travel for an October wedding might face the same fate.

Another said her parents were denied boarding just for rescheduling flights without cancelling the earlier ones, which triggered suspicion in CBP (Customs and Border Protection) systems.

It seems that under the new US government, getting an approved B2 visa with a clear background is criminal.