llorona

Good Evening,

My fiance' had a horrible POE experience at Bush airport in Houston. I understand the security concerns this past week, but they overstepped their boundaries. We are both still upset. They only treated him in this manner because he is Muslim. I think that after months of security checks by the FBI and Consulate and only God knows who else that they should have just rubber stamped him through.

Here are the facts:

1. He was detained for 4 hours.
2. They questioned him about our relationship in detail.
3. They asked him about personal photos.
4. They questioned his educational background.
5. They asked him about what job he would get here.
6. He was fingerprinted and photographed.
7. They read personal emails from me.


After about 2 hours grilling him, they (male and female immigration officers) called me on my cell phone and came out and questioned me for about 30 minutes. They were both the rudest people I have ever meet!!!

1. Do you know this person?
2. Do you know his religion?
3. What is your job? Where do you work?
4. How long have you been employed?
5. Where do you live?
6. How much money does he have on him?
7. Are you aware that people like this come to the States to get a job? (Basically implying that I was a stupid American woman who needed the protection of Big Brother Government!!!)
8. How many times have you been to Morocco? How long did you stay each time?
9. Where did you stay? (I got a lecture here about the social conditions of Muslim countries after my response.)
10. Who paid for everything when you were in Morocco?
11. How do your sisters feel about this marriage?
12. When are you getting married?
13. How did your family feel about this marriage?
14. How does his family feel about this marriage?
15. Does he have any brothers or sisters?
16. What job did he have in Morocco?
17. How did you meet?
18. How long have you known each other?
19. How much money does he have in the bank?


TWO QUESTIONS FROM THE FEMALE OFFICER THAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF:

1. Do you plan on CONVERTING to Islam?
2. Who PAID for your engagement ring?

Also after they finally RELEASED him, the female officer came to the door to see how we would greet each other. I am still LIVID with anger as I write this. Their behavior was unacceptable and I will be writing a letter of protest.

What a Wonderful Welcome to the good 'ole USA!!!

llorona

Simon&Vik

I don't blame you for being angry. I hope you got the officers names for you letter.

Of course, at the same time, don't DARE let it disrupt your happiness at finally being together!

Noorah101

Hi Ilorona,

I'm so sorry this happened to your fiance. How awful! Sounds like Jewels' Iranian husband's nightmare at his POE where they did a strip search on him and kept him 3 or 4 hours as well. As you said "Welcome to America" *** sigh ***

saidsgirl

OH.
MY.
GOD!

I am speechless.

Noorah101

Just what you needed to hear 3 days before he arrives.... :-( Well, be prepared for anything, right? :-( I hope Said's experience is better than this.

saidsgirl

Maybe I should find a way to fly to New York, huh????

Noorah101

Even if you did, I don't think you'd be able to be in where he is going through customs, would you??

tmushen

This is something I always fear because these people think they are god. It's just not right. I have a question for any one who might know the answer. If I flew in with my wife when she finally gets her visa is there any way I can stay with her when she goes through customs or do we go our seperate ways because I am a US Citizen and she would be coming in on the K3 visa.

Matthew Udall

While the Consulate is responsible for issuing visas, it is the duty of the officer at the POE to make sure the person applying to enter the U.S. is eligible to enter the U.S. using the visa they are presenting to effectuate their entry.

It is conceivable that someone presenting a K-1 visa might not actually be engaged to a U.S. citizen in a bonafied relationship. It could very well be that one friend (a USC) is helping another friend in order to obtain a K-1 visa, with subsequent marriage of convenience to help the international friend obtain a greencard. Some of the questions you say they asked would go toward making that determination.

Like it or not, they were just doing their job (although I will admit that I don’t normally hear reports of this sort of thing for K-1 entrants). The Consulate can’t “pre-clear� someone’s entry into the U.S. Again, that is the job of the officer at the POE, and the officers at the POE’s have been given broad powers in making these judgment calls.

FlyergirlUK

My, now, Hubby was permitted to stay with me whilst we waited for all the people who needed to be processed to be herded into a small room.
He stayed with me in the visitors line too.
There was no problem with this at all.

Leslie

Hello llorona.

I am very disturbed and disgusted.

Did it ever occur to the *****ing POE *ssholes that Morocco is an ally of the United States?

Leslie

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Note your timeline where you put the "smiley" after he got the visa on 12-08-2003.

I don't know where people get the idea that an aiport admission is a "rubber stamp." By design, it is not and never has been.

Some of the biggest flames in the marriage visa discussions have been over what the POE dicks can do. I was once chastised by friend when I complared the POE dicks to the Gestapo -- she felt I had insulted the Gestapo -- say what you will, the Gestapo had rules and they followed those rules. The POE people don't have rules and have been given unlimited power.

Notice where your beloved is NOW -- he is IN the United States. You had the inspection from Hell and he was admitted.

In my book that is a "win" and "wins" are sweet indeed.

supernav

does it sound heavy-handed? yes.

was it necessary due to 9/11, and the TONS of fraud commied by others, and the nature of the area that he came from, and the protction of our country from evil people that might *slip* through?

yes.

Yes, you mihgt have been inconvenicned for 4 hours, but c'mon -- it's over with forever, and he doesn't hav eto worry abo ut it. In th is country, we ask tons of questions -- in other countries, they jail and torture you, and keep you locked up.

Sure they may "grill" 10 fiances from those countries that are still not doing t heir job to fend out terrorists.

But wh at if out of those 10, they CATCH 1 who is a fraud!

Bingo.

It's an inconvenience -- but the bfitght side is -- it's for the protection of the country that you and him are now sleeping peacefully in. So take it with a grain of salt. They're just doing their job.

-= nav =-

Matthew Udall

Hi Leslie,
I trust you (and most others who participate in the group) had a nice holiday. I know I did although I did leave Utah a day earlier than expected (when returning home to Cal.) in order to get out from under the big storm dumping snow across Utah (I don't have snow tires or chains).

The officer at the POE might actually be up on world politics (as far as knowing what countries are allies), however that does not excuse their responsibility in doing their job and examining the actual "person" or "individual" presenting themselves for entry.

My guess is that you know this too, but are understandably concerned since your Moroccan will be running the POE gauntlet one of these days.

Odds are, he'll be let in (as was the fiancé of the OP in this thread) and I think the odds are he won't be treated exactly the same as the OP's fiancé (these officers are human, some are rude, some have bad days, some are nice, some are more thorough than others, some are prejudiced and some are not).

Well, New Years Day will be here soon. I'm trying to clear up my office of mail and a few assorted jobs before that day as I usually have a few people over to the office to watch the floats in the Rose Parade as they pass by my second story windows overlooking the parade route (I have 3 prime viewing windows).

For me, the parade is no big deal (once you see one giraffe made out of vegetable material, you’ve seen them all) but others who have not seen it before seem to get a kick out of it.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

It looks like its going to be cold this year [at least in the LA sense, not the Michigan sense] and your office has HEAT. What is the parking situation in your neck of the woods? We have a friend who lives on San Pasqual several blocks east of Allen and she has a circular driveway. The parade never made it down that way until about 9:45 so we would drive there in the morning and walk up to Colorado.

The offspring who now lives in Pasadena [not to far from your office] went to the East Coast for New Years.