I believe everyone knows this but just in case: Actually, even having a visa to
US doesn’t mean that you will be allowed to enter, even can be arrested and
sent to jail just for trying if they believe that you lied in the visa process.
I want to explain one of the situations I’ve been and how this was EXPLAINED to
me in a very rude way by an US immigration officer. Some years ago, traveling
via Miami to Curacao for some LACNIC events, I was asked at the Miami
immigration desk to go to a separate room for some special questioning. This
happened to me in several consecutive trips to Curacao and BACK to my home, no
sense at all. In all those situations, I was about to lose my next flight,
specially one of the times, going back to home, which will had mean waiting for
24 hours. The immigration officers told me that I’m in a kind of third security
check level (don’t recall exact wording).
I must say that all those interrogations were lacking of any kind of respect
and threatening me up to the point of getting really afraid, some times even
destroying parts of my belongings in my carry-on/computer bag. By the way, my
TSA lock has been destroyed also several times despite it is a TSA so they have
the key to open it without the need to destroying it, no sense at all, and I
never got paid for it, despite I claimed.
The last time I got this “special” nasty interview, the last official, the one
stamping my passport, was Spanish speaking so I took the opportunity,
considering it will be a more “relaxed” chat, to ask him, because I was
traveling to/thru US so much, if it makes sense for me to obtain a multi-entry
visa in the Madrid embassy, to avoid those situations, etc. He was crazy rude,
increase his voice level, and told me “you’re a guest even if you obtain a
visa, and we will be able to put you in the jail even having a visa, every time
you try to come to US, because we will always find a reason for that, you
always have something to hide and we will always find a lie in your entry form,
even just for making this kind of questions, I’m seriously considering
arresting you right now”. So nice!
By the way, my family name is not common and thus not related to any “possible”
well-known terrorist, delinquent, narco or anything like that, so not any
possible confusion (in fact I asked if that was the case).
Remember that I was not visiting US, just traveling to a third country, which
in US requires being able to visit US, while in many other countries, if you
don’t need to go into the country, you don’t need to clear immigration. This is
per se, absolutely ridiculous, but this is another topic for debate.
Doing IPv6 trainings and consultancy, I’ve been already in over 110 countries,
many of them several times. I can say that, without any doubt, my worst
experiences at immigration time, have always been when traveling to US.
Many animals receive a much better treatment that humans in some countries
immigration desks, only because they carry a gun.
Regards,
Jordi
-----Mensaje original-----
De: ietf <ietf-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org> en nombre de Mikael Abrahamsson
<swmike(_at_)swm(_dot_)pp(_dot_)se>
Organización: People's Front Against WWW
Responder a: <swmike(_at_)swm(_dot_)pp(_dot_)se>
Fecha: jueves, 26 de mayo de 2016, 9:57
Para: Margaret Cullen <mrcullen42(_at_)gmail(_dot_)com>
CC: IETF Discussion Mailing List <ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org>
Asunto: Re: IETF 100, Singapore -- proposed path forward and request for input
On Wed, 25 May 2016, Margaret Cullen wrote:
is concerned that he could be _arrested_ for coming to the Singapore
IETF meeting with his family. This is an issue of human rights and
personal safety, not an issue of convenience, paperwork, cost, etc.
I think you underestimate the risk of someone being denied entry to the US
through this visa process, and the assesment some people might make on the
risk of being arbitrarily detained in the US or even robbed/killed at
gunpoint or being killed by a law enforcement officer who is scared for
his life because of all the handguns carried by the US population. These
are not inconvenience issues. Going to the US, especially while being
non-white, looks to me as carrying real risk (and even while being white,
I am still scared more while interacting with law enforcement in US than
in almost any other country in the world).
If I were an LGBT person with the information I have, I'd rather go to
Singapore than to the US. Others might make other assesment on the
situation, but that is mine.
--
Mikael Abrahamsson email: swmike(_at_)swm(_dot_)pp(_dot_)se