Not really fond of US Immigration Right Now

[bcholmes]

This is the front-page story in the Toronto Star, today.

My cow-orker, Rekha, also just returned from India last weekend, and she told me she had a lot of difficulty getting through customs. "I think the only reason they let me through was because I was travelling with Kev." Her white husband.

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

oh! that reminds me. apparently, with the new "registration" requirements for middle easterners in the us, many people were requesting and getting political asylum in canada... up until about a week and a half ago, when ontario started denying requests. have you heard anything about this?

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

I have not, unfortunately. But that sounds yucky. Can you point me to any places that you've heard this from?

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

um, my girlfriend. [grin]

let me see if i can get a cite from her...

[futabachan.livejournal.com]

*shake head sadly* Almost makes me want to defect. (Are you guys still hiring? :-) )

[gisho.livejournal.com]

.....

For a long time I've contemplating moving to Canada as an act of political protest. This is becoming a mroe attractive posibility all the time.

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be just as effective and less expensive to write to your congressunit?

[gisho.livejournal.com]

Writing to my congressunit might be just as effective as an act of political protest, but you see, I'd still be in the USA after I'd done it. I have a great respect for the ideals and principles this country was founded upon, and just as soon as the government starts to respect them again. I'd be happy to live here. But as it is, if one more person says "Love it or leave it" I'm leaving the instant I'm out of school.

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

OK. I mean, if you're looking to change *your* situation, I can see doing that. If you're looking to make a statement, it seems like an expensive and ineffectual move.

[lisiblac.livejournal.com]

Christ on a Cracker.

Having dealt with these morons, I totally sympathise with this poor woman. I, too, have been stuck in 'the interview wating room' with the rest of the punk rock kids and people of color, wondering, "what the fuck?!"

Makes me sick. It'll be interesting to see if Canadian officials do have the chutzpa to speak out about it.

never been fond of US immigration

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

when i went through it many years ago in LA, they were already treating non-whites like third class people, so this doesn't surprise me (though in the defense of the mpls office -- they were the exception; they were courteous to everyone and didn't make people feel like criminals). fuckwits. makes me want to move canada far away from them. i am so not looking forward to crossing the border later this month -- though, hey, i am white; they tend to not even check my papers. i can't tell you how much in awe i am of their amazing terror prevention measures; your head would explode, since you don't do sarcasm.

[shadowriderhope.livejournal.com]

Ye Gods, this makes me sick. I hope Chrétien reads us the riot act. Shit. It's just sickening. :-/

[deepforestowl.livejournal.com]

I can attest to her story. When I came back to the states after my london trip in october, every person of color was asked to step aside for searching. I'm white and they took my word that I didnt have food or stuff. When I was waiting for my luggage, officers were wandering around stopping people and asking them why they were in the states, asking for proof that they were returning to where they came from...etc I was shocked by how aggressive the cops were. I've never had a problem with the cops. It does make me ashamed to be an American and more and more I have thought about moving to another country. I don't stand for these kind of ideals. And I am ashamed of what we are doing in the middle east.

isolated incident vs. widespread badness

[medhba.livejournal.com]

That story gave me flashback chills.
It sucks to fear.
It just sucks to fear.