Australian MMA trainer Renato Subotic recently recounted his experience in the US, where a minor visa problem ended up getting him locked up in a federal prison for 24 hours. Subotic had flown to the US to participate in and train at a seminar, but instead of making it to his destination, he ended up in a cell.

In an Instagram post, Subotic wrote, “I believe in respecting the rules. But putting someone in federal prison over a missing detail in a visa application? That’s crazy.”

When Subotic arrived in the US, immigration officers stopped him and brought him into a separate room for questioning, he said.

“The officer interviewing me looked like he was looking for something wrong,” he wrote. “It was obvious why I was in the US. I gave them every specific detail about my seminar, my plans, everything.”

Even after explaining, officials informed him that there had been an error in his visa and that he would be sent to jail. “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,” Subotic said.

Life behind bars – even for a day

Subotic was handcuffed and brought to a federal prison, where he claims to have been treated as a criminal.

“They stripped me of everything. Took my clothes, gave me jail clothes, fingerprinted me, took photos, searched me. Gave me a blanket and sheet,” he recalled.

He was taken to his cell block, where he said the situation was chaotic. In his Instagram post, Subotic described seeing people running around, shouting, and fighting over food. He was led to a mattress that was stained with blood and urine, where he left his belongings before being taken to get some food.

When Subotic got back to his cell, he saw two men, whom he described as “Mexicans” going through his belongings. A confrontation broke out, which quickly turned into a fight. “We had a fight. I got my stuff back. The other one ran out of the cell, screaming, and the people in the nearby cells came to watch what was going on. When the guards rushed up, no one said anything,” said Subotic.

The fight made him a target. Romanian inmates in the neighboring cell warned him that the men he fought were part of a gang and might come after him. A Venezuelan inmate approached Subotic,he explained how things worked inside the prison and invited him to join a Christian prayer group for safety and community.

That night, Subotic joined the Christian prayer group, where he was met with kindness and support. But once he returned to his cell, the atmosphere shifted — it was a different story altogether.

“I went back to my cell, exhausted. But when I walked in, I saw my cellmate and realized he was one of the two guys who tried to steal my blanket earlier,” he explained. 

“I couldn’t close my eyes. You heard people screaming. You felt what could be happening in those cells, rape, beatings, worse,” he wrote. “I didn’t trust my cellmate. I didn’t sleep a second.”

The deportation

At 6 a.m. the next morning, a prison guard woke him up and informed him that he’d be leaving in a few hours.

“The Mexican guy I’d beat up was still staring at me, like he wanted revenge. But he was out of time,” he said.

He was given back his clothes before being handcuffed again and taken to the airport. There, he was held in a room with no explanation or updates about what was happening.

“Eventually, I got the info: I was being deported,” he said.

One of the officers apologised to Subotic, admitting, “They messed up big. It shouldn’t have gone this way.”

Now that he’s back in Australia, the coach said he plans to speak with his lawyers.“Something has to be done about the way I was treated. Hope this never happens to anybody else,” he said.

 

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