America - Visitors Unwelcomed

[kaima]

www.nytimes.com/2006/02/10/nyregion/10immigration.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Seized With Heavy Hand at Border, for Paperwork Errors
By NINA BERNSTEIN
Published: February 10, 2006
One is a second grader in Manhattan. Over the protests of his American mother, immigration officials have been trying to deport him ever since he returned from a brief visit to his native Canada without the right visa. Another is an Irish professor of literature invited to teach at the University of Pennsylvania last month. He was handcuffed at the Philadelphia airport, strip-searched, jailed overnight and sent back to Europe to correct an omission in his travel papers.


Then there are the seven Tibetan monks who were visiting Omaha two weeks ago. After their church sponsor abruptly withdrew its support, their religious visas were revoked and a dozen immigration officers in riot gear showed up to arrest them.

The details in these cases vary, as do the technical visa infractions committed by each of the foreigners. But they all testify to a larger issue looming on the front lines of immigration enforcement: how low-level gatekeepers and prosecutors in the customs and immigration system are using their growing discretionary power over travelers who pose no security risk.

Officials of the Department of Homeland Security have acknowledged that intensified efforts to keep out terrorists since the 9/11 attacks have sometimes led to the heavy-handed treatment of foreigners whose only offense was an inadvertent paperwork error or being caught in a bureaucratic tangle. In memos issued in 2004 and 2005, agency officials encouraged officers to use discretion and legal shortcuts to resolve such cases quickly, saving resources for more important tasks and showing the world a more welcoming face.

But immigration lawyers say the effort is not working. Though there are no statistics on such cases, the lawyers say they are seeing harsher treatment in situations involving paperwork errors or minor infractions. A political climate more hostile to foreigners, fears of being faulted for leniency and a lack of coordination among immigration agencies, they say, are leading officers to go overboard in cases that fit the government guidelines for prosecutorial discretion.

"I'm desperate," Emily Arroyo, the mother of the second grader, said last week, after prosecutors refused an immigration judge's suggestion that they drop the two-year-old deportation case against her son, José Arroyo Rodas. Instead, they demanded that she buy him a one-way ticket to Canada by next week.

"I'm American — they're making me leave my country, too, because of course I'm not going to let him go alone," said Ms. Arroyo, a hairstylist raised in Guatemala, who calculates that she has spent $10,000 in legal fees trying in vain to fix José's paperwork problem. But on Wednesday, hours after this reporter asked United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Washington for comment about the case, an agency spokesman, Marc Raimondi, said that prosecutors reviewing the matter had found that it met the guidelines for prosecutorial discretion. "A dismissal recommendation to the immigration judge is planned," he said.

Kelly Klundt, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection, which is also part of Homeland Security, said that as its officers process 86 million air travelers a year and enforce 400 different laws, "there are unfortunately going to be a few instances that do not demonstrate perfect discretion."

"Achieving a balance of being a welcoming nation and keeping the borders secure is terribly difficult," she added. "We are seeking to improve the way we handle all of these types of situations."

But a case like José's only confirms that without exceptional outside attention or high-level intervention, rigidity prevails, said Diane M. Butler, a Seattle lawyer who heads the American Immigration Lawyers Association committee that works with Customs and Border Protection.

Most officers, she said, "are trying to do the right thing" but lack training in how to apply discretion. But, in some instances, she added, officers seem newly emboldened by campaigns against illegal immigration to express their resentment of foreigners by denying or delaying entry whenever possible. She said her business clients reported remarks like, " 'You're just trying to take jobs away from Americans.' "

[kaima]

Other immigrant advocates say that low-level employees often act out of fear. "The people on the front line are told that if they make a mistake, their jobs are gone," said Amy L. Peck, an immigration lawyer in Omaha who heads the association committee that works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "So that translates into this rigid — what one could also describe as extreme — policy of turning away and not using discretion in cases that scream for it."

The Irish professor, John McCourt, 40, said that on Jan. 7, an immigration officer at Philadelphia International Airport initially offered to correct a paperwork omission on the spot if he paid a $265 fine. Professor McCourt said he readily agreed, but five minutes later, the officer returned and said she had changed her mind — "that I was a university professor and should have known better" and would be sent back the same night.

In an e-mail message, Professor McCourt, a James Joyce specialist at the University of Trieste in Italy, wrote: "I was told that if I protested I would simply be deported and never be let back."

At 11 p.m., six hours after his arrival, he was transported in handcuffs to the Montgomery County jail, along with another traveler denied entry, Kerstin Spitzl, a pregnant German woman who says that immigration officers abruptly canceled her visa, insisting that she was planning to violate its terms by working.

Worse than the cold, windowless cells at the jail, they said in separate interviews, was a sense of powerlessness. "You're scared," said Ms. Spitzl from her home in Wuppertal. "You have no rights. You cannot contact nobody, nobody can contact you."

In Italy, Professor McCourt quickly fixed his paperwork at the American consulate in Florence, and returned to start his classes at Penn a week late. But in New York last week, where he spoke at Fordham University on "Joyce and Judaism," he said his experience had confirmed his European friends' worst fears about America.

"At the moment, America is easy to hate," he said, "So people say, 'That does it for me. I'm not going to risk that happening.' "

Ms. Klundt, of Customs and Border Protection, said she could not comment on individual cases. But she quoted Robert C. Bonner, who retired as the agency's commissioner in November: "Isolated incidents of rude and hostile conduct reflect poorly on our agency and our country and they are inconsistent with C.B.P. law enforcement professionalism."

In an August 2004 memo, announcing an agency "professionalism initiative," Mr. Bonner also said: "Since the overwhelming majority of travelers pose absolutely no threat to our national security, C.B.P. will use discretion to permit entry, whenever the law allows, for individuals that have committed a technical or inadvertent immigration violation, but who otherwise pose no threat whatsoever."

Guidelines on prosecutorial discretion were also issued last October by the chief counsel to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, William J. Howard, "to reallocate limited ICE resources to priority cases by dismissing appropriate cases," like deportation proceedings against people whose applications to stay in the United States, though backlogged, were likely to be approved.

Sometimes the case for leniency is in the eye of the beholder. In the case of the Tibetan monks, Ms. Peck said they had been abandoned without money in Arizona by their sponsor, the Church of Shambhala, because they refused to recognize its leader as the reincarnation of Buddha and Jesus. They traveled to Omaha for Buddhist workshops, unaware that their visas had been revoked, she said. But Mr. Raimondi defended the arrests, saying that the monks had been notified that their visas were revoked, and became "fugitive aliens" when they left Arizona.

In José Rodas's case, prosecutorial discretion may be the only way to cut through a tangle of law and circumstance — and as of last night, the boy's lawyer, Irwin Berowitz, said he had received no word of the government's change of heart. José cannot automatically derive American citizenship from his mother because she was reared in Guatemala, and his absent father is not American.

A petition to set the boy on the road to United States citizenship has been approved, but obstacles include a two-year processing backlog, his lawyer said. And as long as prosecutors remain opposed, an immigration judge has no authority to dismiss his deportation case.

At one hearing, Ms. Arroyo said, the judge had to take a break to regain her composure after she and José both started crying. "He kept saying," Ms. Arroyo recalled, " 'Mommy, I don't want to leave.' "

[bescheid]

Kai

All of this makes a person wonder, what price must be paid for the freedom to, or the freedom from. It would appear that common sense has been thrown out the window and replaced with an idiots sense of humour.

Charles

[kaima]

yes, I think it is time we spoke up and told the government that we DO believe "freedom is not free", and that we are willing to accept some risk in our daily lives to maintain our freedoms, and big government and domestic spying should bug out.

Kai

[Jaga]

I never understood why even Canadians have such a hard time to receive green cards etc...
By the way, I heard yesterday that one of the banks blocked the account which belonged to Catholic monastery nuns .... from security reasons - they were afraid that it may be used by terrorists (terrorists-nuns )

[Bob S]

bescheid said:

Kai

All of this makes a person wonder, what price must be paid for the freedom to, or the freedom from. It would appear that common sense has been thrown out the window and replaced with an idiots sense of humour.



Charles

;D We get what we pay for and this all begins in public shools that have a lack of education or learning. The people that are hired by the Immigration Service are the LCD of the American public (but they sure have a lot of self-esteem). People with common sense are not hired because they are too educated and this trend will continue. There is always the option of crossing over the Mexican border and then nothing will happen to you, in fact, you may receive more benefits than someone who jumped through all the hoops to come here legally. LOL ;D

[pieter]

Is the Federal government becomming to strong or bureaucratic?

[kaima]

pieter said:

Is the Federal government becomming to strong or bureaucratic?

In America we will always complain that the govenment is too strong and too bereaucratic. The ironic part is that the Republicans used to be the party supporting small government, balanced budgets and rights of privacy. Now we want security and do not speak of preserving our freedoms. It is sad.

Kai

[bescheid]

The only actual success story I have heard occurred in 1999 with the Ahmed Ressam person caught in Washington State. The fellow was smuggling 130 lbs of explosive and 4 home made timers for the LA Airport in California.

His reasoning was this: LAX, because an airport is sensitive politically and economically, the United States States was the biggest enemy of Islam.

archives.cnn.com/2001/LAW/07/05/millennium.plot.trial/


I would only suppose this to mean one of two things, or both: That the United States is so dangerous to Islam, that they (terrorist) are in fear of it.

Or, the United States is the largest country dangerous to Islam as being there is a smaller country also, of being equally dangerous.

A lot of supposing there..

What is a surprise to me, is the stupidity of those people using Middle Eastern featured people to attempt to smuggle in explosives... not very bright (the whole idea is not very bright, for longevity). While a white skin European featured person, preferably an attractive female, obtaining her necessary equipment in country for her escapade would have a better measure of success, logically speaking.

At present, it would appear from past success situations (that is if this would be called a success) would be the Oklahoma bombing. In that case, it was an ex-service American male using a u-haul truck. Now, that is what I would label as dangerous.

It is a blessing to us all, that these terrorist are actually as dumb as they are. One blessing that is an example, after the fact, the suicide bombers only can do it once.

Then they have the opportunity to meet face to face with their maker.

Charles

[suzanne]

bescheid said:

One blessing that is an example, after the fact, the suicide bombers only can do it once.

That's true, Charles, and that's a good thing, however, I worry that suicide bombers are being created faster than they're being destroyed.

[bescheid]

wb4rff said:

bescheid said:

Kai

All of this makes a person wonder, what price must be paid for the freedom to, or the freedom from. It would appear that common sense has been thrown out the window and replaced with an idiots sense of humour.



Charles

;D We get what we pay for and this all begins in public shools that have a lack of education or learning. The people that are hired by the Immigration Service are the LCD of the American public (but they sure have a lot of self-esteem). People with common sense are not hired because they are too educated and this trend will continue. There is always the option of crossing over the Mexican border and then nothing will happen to you, in fact, you may receive more benefits than someone who jumped through all the hoops to come here legally. LOL ;D

Bob

I think you are very correct on that. I was just remembering some of the guards at the airport, some how they did not seem to exhibit very much intelligence let alone confidence, at least in my self.

It would take a miracle to get me in one of those airplanes now. Let alone the prospect of being blown up by a nut case, and would you believe this: The accidents involving ground crews at the Seattle Tacoma International airport, have been damaging planes with out filing a report. One of the passenger aircraft had a fuselage blow out while at altitude and fortunately was able to stay together for a flight turn around and a safe landing. Investigation disclosed prior damage caused by ground crews.

I mean it would be very unsettling to be looking out the wondow at altitude and see a wing or engine fall off.

Charles

[bescheid]

suzannem said:

bescheid said:

One blessing that is an example, after the fact, the suicide bombers only can do it once.

That's true, Charles, and that's a good thing, however, I worry that suicide bombers are being created faster than they're being destroyed.

Suzanne

You know, that is a fact. It is really, really very difficult for my self, to place any rational of any means on what these suicide bombings and violence will give to those people, what they would even hope to gain. They seem to be making a clear cut choice of thinking:

Them (terrorist) or us (public). They are creating through their actions, as seen by the public (meaning my self also) a clear vision of vast distrust of Islamic people, distrust of middle Eastern folks, and a disdainment of any thought of assistance to any of those countries that are Islamic.

The whole thing is so distressing, I think I will just sit down and drink a soda.

(I just read the label: it is classic Coca Cola,( 100 calories per 8 fl oz (240 ml)

Charles