A Horrific INS Story

This was a horrible incident, but one that has become increasingly more common in the last year. I have several good friends from high school who are of various Islamic or Hindu decent who have been excessively questioned (one even detained for three hours). However, none of them believe that this is necessarily a bad thing. They are all natural born Americans whose parents imigrated to the US several decades ago. They understand the threat to the US, and while they have said it is unnerving to go through customs, they would rather have security tight than not.

This incident is wrong because of how fast it was handled. Canadian passports have long been a favored passport to fake, so I guess I can understand the customs officers thought process. However, the woman should have been detained and the situation investigated before deporting her.

 

And I suppose British or American passports aren't used?

 

Traditionally [I have a friend who worked for the state department, and now homeland security who has given me this information. He and I were talking one night this past summer about our mutual acquantences (mentioned in my first post) who have had some difficulties and this fact came up in conversation. Being the Clancy novel fan that I am, I happened to remember this fact], Canadian passports are some of the most faked passports to gain entry to the US. Yes, British and American passports are as well. Don't get too defensive, I wasn't trying to take a shot a Canada or anything like that, just stating a fact.

 

Situations like this and they way people react to it,or kinda like police bruality, I mean if your rights have never been violated by the police. When you hear stories like this you kidna say well it happens,you have to kinda deal with it....But if you have been humiliated and degraded by the police. You know how awful it is and you know how the police, like ins, military and other groups like that are picked not by ability to protect and serve, but by their ability to be followers and not think....

 

I love this part of the article. It just shows exactly what's wrong with this concept of "security". Some Joe Blow who didn't have the brains to go to a real school alone has the power to determine whether your passport looks suspicious or not. I'd like to know exactly what was so suspicious about this woman's passport, aside from the fact that she isn't white.

 

after this your post is one big copout for the unfair treatment of many, many people since Sept. 11th. Not taking a shot at you personally, but it is this laissez faire attitude that allows for these abuses to normally go un discussed and un checked.

I, and most of the rest of the population of this country, have NO idea how often this happens, but it is clear that it does happen. Security is one thing, completely humiliating people and denying them their most basic, legal rights is a complete other, ugly, thing.

Now whether or not this matters in the grand scheme of things is still up for debate, which I feel is sort of what you were trying to say, was it? But it still doesn't make it right when it DOES happen and if at all possible these sorts of things need to be snuffed out.

 

Indeed. Maybe, MAYBE, the journalism of 30, 40 years ago would have gotten to this, the crux of the issue; today's journalism? Too busy comparing levels of "access" and searching for the newest-latest "A Current Affair" format in which to place their "news"...

 

The real issue here is that the INS is an overworked, underfunded agency. Thus, piss-poor quality control.

 

Which makes me very relieved to be A) white and B) a holder of a U.S. passport.

Is that fair? no Am I still happy? yes

 

Well, once it is absorbed into the Department of Homeland Security, I'm sure things will improve because national security is at stake *struck by lightning by the Avenging Angel of Sarcasm*

 

I never meant, if I did, imply that any of these actions are OK. I am vehemently against them. As I said, I have friends who have been detained and even questioned. It is not right to profile anyone because of their looks, but the fact of the matter is, "judging the book by its cover" has been happening for milennia. I would support those who would protest actions like have been mentioned in a second, but I honestly don't think a big impact would be made. Judging people is human nature and is ingrained in our society to a point that it is possible to abandon it, but unlikely to happen...at least not for several generations.

 

I agree. Racial profiling seems to be a tick left over from our evolution. It is a rare person who can honestly say they have never, ever looked at someone of a different color, race, or creed and not pre-judged them in some way or another.