There have been numerous cases of travellers who have been denied entry into their country of destination, but only a few stories have managed to transcend the personal realm and made their way into the public sphere.

 A rejection by the immigration office may be due to a lack of necessary documentation, or other conventional factors, but what happens when you are simply refused entry because of your nationality?

Orhan Kocakoç was relieved to be travelling to a new country once again, to be able to explore the world with just a backpack, as he had been doing for the last four years.

This time, Mexico was the stop he had so eagerly prepared for on his itinerary.

Guatemala City to Cancun. He was at the airport. Everything went according to plan, until he reached passport control, where his journey would take a complete 180.

"Oh, you're Turkish, interesting. Another one who plans to use Mexico as a bridge to sneak into the US". These were the words the customs officer said out loud before sending him to the office where he would spend the rest of the day.

An interrogation composed of questions with no valid answer was the next thing about to take place.

-How long are you going to spend in Mexico? “2 or 3 months. I'm backpacking, if I like it, I'll stay longer, if not, I'll leave", Orhan explained.

He was asked for his e-visa and his hotel reservation.

"This has not been paid," said the officer, while Orhan politely clarified that it was common to pay a percentage in advance and the rest at the reception desk.

Nothing was enough.  Even with all the necessary documentation, Orhan was hit with a dry and cold "Okay, sit down".

Orhan had to wait for 7 hours, surrounded by many other travellers from as far away as China and Russia, simply held up for having a "wrong" passport.

During this wait, his mobile phone was confiscated. "I couldn't contact anyone".

After almost a third of the day in a waiting room, Orhan decided to have a conversation with the supervisors.

"Let me go, I don't need to enter your country anymore".

-You can't, you have to follow the rules.

- What are the rules?

-That you have to wait.

All this waiting had exhausted his patience, and after refusing the officer's response, amidst pushing, shoving and insults, he was locked up in solitary confinement for another four hours.

The nightmare had only just begun.

The cell comprised a small room, no windows and a nauseating smell permeating the walls caused by the only object around, a toilet.

A small square in the door allowed a glimmer of light to pass through. It was the only thing Orhan could hold on to, keeping him from breaking down.

"I couldn't breathe. I kept going into that little square and I prayed that the little breeze running through the hallway would be enough to fill my lungs with oxygen”.

Amidst screams and tears Orhan begged the policemen to let him out.

"I was very anxious. Please help me, he begged. No one came for me”.

12 hours of his arrest had passed by the time he was transferred to his new cell, which mostly housed people from Latin America.

His detention would cost him a whole 4 days and 3 nights.

Isolated in a room merely a few metres from the passport control he had attempted to cross; the passengers spent their many solitary hours watching travellers get rejected upon their entry and others managing to achieve their dreams. Entering the country that only a few days ago was part of the journey of so many others in that room.

"It was like a game, imagining you were a character in a film, observing from a distance, the path that lay ahead for so many people".

In conditions as miserable as having to take turns sleeping on the floor or in bed, with no showers and not knowing when they were going to eat, people kept swapping every day, unsure of when they would be able to leave.

Among them, many families with children; others simply travellers and tourists eager to begin their journey. They all had one thing in common, their time had been stolen along with their hopes of entering their destination.

They could only use the mobile phone once a day, so as a last resource Orhan contacted a friend who was a lawyer in Mexico. During the phone conversation he tried to get the officers to speak to him but all attempts were unsuccessful.

Orhan was released after his fourth day of detention in the airport. Sat on a plane to Guatemala City he is enjoying his time back in the country he once said goodbye to, and where he is still planning his return to Mexico.

It is not an isolated story. Ultimately, it is an arbitrary system that any of us can fall afoul of.

Leaving aside that the subjective decision of an authority should not be a reason for detention, if this is the case, basic human rights should be guaranteed. Something as simple as three meals a day, a bed to sleep in or legal advice.   

Therefore, criteria, conditions and facilities in detention rooms must be improved.

Orhan’s story is similar to those of many others. But here, it is heard.