How far will Americans let this sort of thing go before they wake up?? This is simply atrocious!!
From 03/03 edition of Liberty Magazine:
Under new regulations proposed by President Bush, anytime you want to leave the U.S., you will have to tell the government where you're going, what you're planning to do, and how long you're planning to do it. This sort of intrusion on personal privacy was imposed on Russians while Russia was in the grip of a communist dictator, but it is unprecedented in America or any other free society. The fact that they are now being seriously proposed, and without any vigorous public objection, argues a truly disturbing degree of meekness in the populace...
- R. W. Bradford
And look what they're doing to visitors to the U.S. under the guise of preventing terrorism, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!
almanacnews.com
Woman's humiliation at airport sparks local indignation
By Marion Softky
Almanac Staff Writer
Maggie Anderson is the last person in the world you would single out as a terrorist.
Yet, the petite, blonde 51-year-old farm wife from New Zealand said she was searched, bullied, marched in handcuffs through the airport, and detained for 35 hours at the Los Angeles International Airport in July, when she came with her husband, Doug Anderson, formerly of Portola Valley, for their annual winter vacation.
Her offense: she had overstayed her visa by eight days in 1998 because of a bad back. She's been back three times since with no problems.
"She's a strong girl, but she was an emotional and traumatic wreck," said her father-in-law, Bob Anderson, a former mayor of Portola Valley, who lives at The Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley.
Mrs. Anderson was shipped back to New Zealand, where she got her papers in order so she could return, at her own expense, two weeks later -- only to be hassled again by the same man. This time she was released after an hour.
"The guy didn't appear to have any common sense," Mrs. Anderson told the Almanac. "He had a chip on his shoulder and shouldn't have that job."
Now Mrs. Anderson is vacationing at Lake Tahoe with her husband while she recuperates from her ordeal. "I'm not angry any more; I just feel sad that it has come to this," she said.
Francisco Arcaute, spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalizaion Service (INS) in Los Angeles, acknowledged this was an "unfortunate incident." However, he reminded people: "The climate has changed. We are at war. Immigration officers, like all law enforcement officials, must make the best decision possible with the information available to them."
As far as he could determine, officials followed instructions and procedures "by the book" in handling Mrs. Anderson's case, Mr. Arcaute said. "They are taught to treat the public with respect."
Local Congresswoman Anna Eshoo told the Almanac she has heard of more cases of people being detained and roughed up by agents of the federal government. "It's one of the unfortunate outcomes of 9/11," she said.
Ms. Eshoo has written the attorney general and the INS commissioner complaining about the treatment of Mrs. Anderson and others. "The tone comes from the top," she said. "It's troubling. It's chilling. We have to weigh in every single time."
Betrayal
Mrs. Anderson used to feel like an American. As a flight attendant, she flew here hundreds of times. For more than 20 years, she and her husband Doug have come here during the New Zealand winter.
Summers they grow gourmet mesculun lettuce on their small farm in Auckland to sell to restaurants, supermarkets, and cruise ships.
"I felt really betrayed," Mrs. Anderson said. " I felt like I was one of you."
After officials discovered her visa problem, Mrs. Anderson was taken into another room, her belongings were confiscated, and her husband sent home. She was not allowed to make a phone call. "Doug could do nothing to help," she said. "It made no difference that I was married to an American."
Most traumatic was the search, she said. Two female guards, who were laughing and kidding, had her spread-eagled against a wall while they felt inside her bra and jogging pants. The bigger guard said she was not spread enough and kicked her foot, so she almost fell.
"They were rude and unprofessional," she said. "I couldn't even wipe the tears streaming down my face."
Close to midnight, Mrs. Anderson and six others were led across the airport in handcuffs to a holding area, where she was held another 21 hours, until officials put her on a plane back to New Zealand.
Over the 35 hours, Mrs. Anderson's companions included Thai, Russian, Vietnamese, Indian, Peruvian, mainland Chinese, and a Tahitian grandmother. "They yelled at the people who didn't speak English," she said.
"I honestly think they're wasting resources the way they're doing it," Mrs. Anderson said. "I wish the INS had a little more common sense. The bad guys aren't going to come into the country with visa problems."
Mr. Arcaute noted: "We deal with thousands of people every day. The vast majority enter and leave the U.S. with no issues whatsoever."
Last December, for example, 551,505 passengers entered the United States through the Los Angeles International Airport; 424 aliens were denied access for a variety of reasons, including visa irregularities, he said.
Mr. Arcaute said inspectors will be undergoing additional training in searches to define boundaries between pat-down and strip searches. The service will also require better "post-mortem reports" to explain their actions.
"These people are trained to uphold the law and protect the borders of our country," he said. "Law enforcement officers have to make decisions at the moment." |
