US border force 'mistakenly detain' tourist in prison cell with 'p*** and blood-stained mattress'

An Australian MMA coach has where he was put in a cell with a mattress stained with "p*** and blood" before getting into a fight with inmates.

Renato Subotic alleged he was forced into a prison nightmare after touching down in the US ahead of a seminar. But what was meant to be a business trip soon took a dark turn when he was stopped at the border and put in an isolation room for three hours. His shocking account, shared on his page, claimed he was stripped of his clothes, forced to don a prison uniform before being . "Immigration pulled me aside and took me into an isolated room," Mr Subotic said. "The officer interviewing me me looked like he was looking for something wrong. It was obvious why I was in the US I gave them every specific detail about my seminar, my plans, everything.

"They kept me in that room for three hours, asking endless questions, I was collaborative. They told me there was a mistake with my visa and that they were taking me to jail 'until they figure out what’s next.' Just like that. No clear explanation, no chance to talk to anyone, no rights.

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"They handcuffed me, put me in a car, and drove me to federal prison. They stripped me of everything. Took my clothes, gave me jail clothes, fingerprinted me, took photos, searched me. Gave me a blanket and sheet. Then they walked me to my block — 4B.

"The moment the door opened, it was chaos. Fights between gangs. People screaming. Arguing over food, what to watch on TV, crazy people running around. Madness. The guard walked me to cell 221, where there was a filthy mattress with patches of p*** and blood."

Mr Subotic claimed he went to get food and found detainees "beating the hell out of one another" before he returned to his cell where he found two men were stealing his blanket, leading to an altercation. When a guard responded to the commotion, Mr Subotic alleges he said: "You got a good welcome. Keep your head straight or you're gonna stay here longer."

He continued: "At the airport, they kept me in a room without telling me when I'd fly. Eventually, I got info: I was being deported. An officer walked me to the plane.

"Before taking off the handcuffs, he looked at me and said: 'I’m sorry this happened to you. They messed up big. It shouldn’t have gone this way.' The whole experience was unreal. It's insane how easily someone can take away your freedom, lock you in a federal prison, without a clear reason. No explanation. No warning. Just like that, you're treated like the worst criminal."

Mr Subotic said he believed in "respecting the rules" but said it was overkill to be put in prison for missing a detail in a visa application. He then revealed he was back in and would speak to lawyers to see if anything could be done regarding his treatment. "Hope this never happens to nobody else," he added.

The has has contacted Mr Subotic and US Customs and Border Protection for comment via Instagram and email, respectively.

US President vowed to crackdown on illegal entry into the country and has ordered the detainment of people he said are in the States without authorisation. But critics have said the heavy-handed approach by officials has caught several tourists who pose no threat to the US and have no intention to stay.

Rebecca Burke, 28, from Monmouthshire, Wales, told the Guardian she had been refused entry to Canada from Washington State. She was later shackled and detained by ICE officials and was locked up for 19 days.

Within the first 50 days of his presidency, more than 32,809 people were detained by ICE. But Burke has warned people to avoid travel to the US without contacting the country's embassy and getting written confirmation about what visas to apply for.