Members of the punk rock band UK Subs have said they were denied entry and were detained in the US, according to the band’s own account.
Bassist Alvin Gibbs shared details of the incident in a Facebook post Wednesday. This comes in extensive reports that people, including French scientists who said he was banned due to his anti-Donald Trump comments, have been denied entry into the United States.
Gibbs, along with bandmates Mark Carrey and Stephen Haublin, was deported to the UK after being detained. Only vocalist Charlie Harper was allowed. Harper performed the band’s scheduled show in Los Angeles along with a group of shoot-in musicians.
He was told how he was asked after being flagged after landing at LA airport with his partner. He was informed that the flag was for two reasons. First he was told he had a false visa, but he was told there was another reason why the agent wouldn’t disclose it to him.
“I can’t help but wonder if my frequent and fewer public comments about the President and his administration played a role, or if they simply succumbed to paranoia,” he said.
The band, considered a pioneer in the British punk rock genre, has been blatantly critical of Trump and his policies in the past. They are known to make political statements often during live performances.
“It was far from enjoyable that went on,” Gibbs said. “Two police officers took me to another section of LAX, where I found out that Stefan and Mark were already in detention in Cold Holding Pen, along with a group of detainees from Colombia, China and Mexico. My luggage, phone and passport were confiscated.”
He explained how he was finally asked for a second interview at 4am, hours after his first landing at 7pm.
Gibbs says his partner had waited 25 hours for him to be eventually released from custody. “By the time I was escorted on my flight at 8pm the next day, I survived with a pot noodles and a cup of tea, and had not slept for more than a day.”
He expressed his relief that Harper was able to enter the country and perform the scheduled show, but Gibbs is not keen to return to the US again. “It appears my relationship with my country will end in the near future,” he said.
The British submarine experience is the latest in long-term people who experienced long-term detention and deportation when they entered the US, and the incident frequently acknowledges vague or unspecified visa issues.
In a similar situation to British submarines, French researchers were denied entry to the United States earlier this month after an immigration officer at the airport searched for a phone call and found a message expressing criticism of the Trump administration.
In response to the news from French Minister of Higher Education Research, Philip Baptist, “The measure was clearly taken by American authorities as researchers’ calls included exchanges with colleagues and friends who expressed personal opinions about the Trump administration’s research policies.”
This article was revised on March 21, 2025 to revise the spelling of Alvin Gibbs’ name.
