While I agree that it seems like a dumb reason to detain her, it also seems to be somewhat of a case of a brit thinking that the sort of kicking up a fuss that works at home is going to work overseas.
Unfortunately, as a foreigner in a strange land, youāre in a much more vulnerable position and sometimes you just have to suck it up and say āIām very sorry sir. I didnāt know there was a problem with my visa. What should I do?ā
I regularly have situations where if I was back int he UK Iād kick up a massive fuss and not accept it, but doing so in another country, where you arenāt a national, is a much bigger risk. It sucks, but thatās life.
On another topic:
Smelly cat, smelly catā¦