Italian, Danish musicians en route to SXSW detained at U.S. airports and deported, amid visa confusion

SXSW 2017 is having visa problems
(Image credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Tinder/GLAAD)

Musicians from Canada, Egypt, Britain, Italy, and Denmark are among the scheduled South by Southwest performers who have been barred from the U.S. over the past week, mostly due to questions over what now constitutes a valid visa for playing unpaid showcase performances.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) told Billboard on Monday that members of "internationally recognized entertainment" groups "must apply for and be granted a P-1 visa," not a B-1 visa for tourists — though B-1 visas were allowed in the past. SXSW, in Austin, dismissed that statement as an advisory "boilerplate email response," telling Pitchfork the festival "remains confident that the vast majority of consular officers and CBP officials understand and respect the need for, and the principle of, showcasing at promotional events such as the official SXSW event."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.