Maybe they should have told CBP they had symptoms for covid. Would CBP really want them coming ashore at that point?
That was the part that got me...we want to protect our borders but come ashore for 27 hours and hang out...
They should consider themselves lucky they weren't forced to quarantine at their own cost for 14 days, tested, and then released. The original cost of quarantine for non-belongers was in the $7k each range for security, lodging, and food.
