A European band on its way to play Austin's SXSW Festival has been deported by U.S. customs officials — and the incident could foreshadow further problems for the event and others like it.

Soviet Soviet, an indie rock trio from Italy, was detained Wednesday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the band had arrived on its way to Texas.

The cover of Soviet Soviet's sophomore effort, Endless. The band had been set to play not just SXSW but several West Coast venues. (Soviet Soviet web site)

Fresh off its sophomore release, Endless, the band was scheduled to play not only SXSW but a show on Seattle's KEXP, among other West Coast engagements. Instead, as the band said on Facebook, the three men were fingerprinted, handcuffed and put in jail.

"They confiscated our cell phones and we were denied the possibility of contacting our families and loved ones," they wrote. "We spent the night in jail and had been escorted there as though we were three criminals."

The band said it was denied entry because the three lacked work visas, a requirement they said was inapplicable because they were not being paid for any of their gigs. That, they argued, qualified them for the Visa Waiver Program that allows musicians from several dozen nations to enter the country for unpaid performances without having to procure visas.

Customs and Border Protection officials were not swayed, however, because some of the band's scheduled venues were charging admission.

"Two of the venues were asking for entry fees and this was enough to convince them that we needed work visas," their Facebook post continued.

The band put officials in touch with the owner of their American label, but that didn't help either. Their request to enter the U.S. was denied, and the three were ultimately sent back to Italy.

"They declared us illegal immigrants even if our intention was by no means to look for work in the United States nor never go back to Italy," the band wrote.

KEXP posted on its web site that in response to a question about whether handcuffs and jail are standard procedure for musicians arriving without a proper visa, the Department of Homeland Security said that customs has no overnight detention facility at the airport, so any traveler awaiting return travel is humanely restrained while being transported to a detention facility.

Brian Taylor Goldstein, a New York-based entertainment lawyer, wrote on his blog, HelloStage, that the "heightened vetting and screening" of those thought to be entering the U.S. on a improper basis is prompting "more scrutiny and less forgiveness than ever before" for artists trying to visit the country.

"We are already receiving reports of artists being held and detained for hours upon entering the U.S. to determine whether or not they are performing," Goldstein said. "Even artists entering as visitors for the purpose of attending a conference or 'performing a showcase' are being pulled aside and, in many cases, being refused entry."

The incident could portend further setbacks for SXSW, which hosted almost 600 international acts during last year's run. The festival runs through March 19.