Visit the U.S. - go to jail!

[Bitsy]

My mother just sent me this article and thinks that I could have ended up in jail too when I tried to enter the U.S.

Italian’s Detention Illustrates Dangers Foreign Visitors Face - New York Times

As I wrote in a different thread, I recently entered the U.S. and got held up at Immigration, who did not want to let me in. I was trying to enter the U.S. on a Finnish passport. I indicated two citizenships on the immigration card and the non-native-English-speaking guy in the booth, looking at the card, snapped at me and demanded why did I have to complicate his life. I almost started crying...I didn't do anything wrong or even unkind, was in an airport wheelchair, as I had broken my foot, was a bit...a lot emotionally unstable and sensitive after a lot of bad experiences. He forced me to choose one of the two citizenships--I had also claimed American. Confused and stunned, I paused for some moments and said "ummmm....ok....Finnish..." and he snapped "Then why did you put American on your card!" I said quietly with a lump in my throat "Because it's true..." Then he demanded proof. Obviously if I had had a valid American passport, I would have used it, so...

I got sent to the immigration office by that nasty s.o.b. The officer in the office was very nice, so I was relieved. I sat in the office for at least an hour waiting for them to try to determine if I was really a U.S. citizen. I wasn't born in the U.S. and that was the problem. I don't fit into the right categories (it's a theme of my life). Eventually they saw that I had had 2 American passports issued to me before and, based on that, and the other circumstances of my life that make me American (and maybe my pathetic appearance in a wheelchair and sweet, innocent look ), they allowed me to pass and told me the U.S. doesn't acknowledge dual citizenship (which I don't get--another story) and that I should always only enter the U.S. on the same passport each time.

So that's my tale of trying to enter the U.S. as a foreigner! I'm thankful they didn't throw me in jail.

[yossarian]

Welcome to the continent

I'm just thankful you didn't end up in Gitmo

[Bitsy]

Originally Posted by yossarian

Welcome to the continent

thanks

Originally Posted by yossarian

I'm just thankful you didn't end up in Gitmo

In the state of mind I was in, I doubt I would have noticed

[Pegasus]

I found both the article and your experience to be disturbing. I’d like to apologize on behalf of the U.S.

[Brutha]

That story really wants me to never cross the US border (in addition to the warrantless laptop research stuff).

[Jennihul]

If you were an illegal Mexican visitor, you could have walked in. How dare you be Italian/Finnish/American!

Jennifer