The surly gatekeepers

I had to make a short trip recently, which took me out of the US. Since I've graduated, I can't return as a student so I re-entered as a tourist. I had a copy of my return ticket to Singapore in August, and I was willing to explain fully my intentions for the 8 weeks I plan to remain in the US - pack and ship my belongings, attend readings, etc. But I didn't expect the immigration officer to be such an anal piece of work.

There were two of them in the booth, but only one of them was dealing directly with me. Were it not for the other woman's intervening and finally telling the first one that my case seemed sound, I might not have been able to re-enter the US.

The first question was about my plans - I answered as honestly as possible, saying I was visiting friends, traveling, and since I'd just graduated, I wanted to pack and ship my books and other items home. Next question was the length of stay - I said 8 weeks. I should have also said my lease doesn't end till the end of July. But she didn't give me a chance, interrupting with "8 weeks is a long time to pack your things." So I said I wanted to visit friends and attend readings. She raised her eyebrows at me; she clearly didn't know what I meant by public readings. So I had to explain that when a book is published, writers give readings and parties. She also asked if I'd be doing any research or any coursework. The truth is that I would like to carry out some individual research for my novel, but that would just entail me going to the library and sifting through books. Somehow I gathered the woman wouldn't be able to understand this. She'd probably say I needed a student or work visa to do this - to go to the library! - so I said no, no research; I might just sit in a library and read. And then she started getting jumpy and turned to her colleague saying, "Doesn't look good. What do you think?"

The other woman now queried me, this time about my degree - creative writing - and whether I had a job at home in Singapore and could they see my return ticket. I gave them my e-ticket printout and said I'd be freelancing and would start working at the end of the year. I gave a company's name and they wanted to know if it was an editorial/publishing company. Thank goodness it was, since they probably thought editorial work is the only thing I ought to be doing. If the work is relevant to the degree, then it's fine by them. What if I'd planned to work in a bank? Or a radio station? Would their wee brains be able to comprehend that? It was only after I mentioned the job (which in truth, isn't even a sure thing) that they decided to let me through.

These two - if not most - immigration officers at Detroit work by a limited set of expected answers. Because my case seemed a little different from a typical tourist's, they didn't know what to make of me. Perhaps they imagined I was trying to seek work or do research in the US without a permit. At the very worst, all I want to do is go to the library. Is that so bad? Would that jeopardize the country's safety, its citizens? In any case, my visa-waiver form states that I may remain in the country for as long as 90 days. I'm only staying two months and I have a return ticket and these officers still got antsy. At one point, I got so upset I wanted to say, "I wouldn't stay a minute longer than I have to." It's sad that I've met such wonderful people during my time here but folks behaving like this bring to the surface my personal prejudices.

More inefficient administrative handling experienced by unfortunate Tiggie.

Posted by Monoceros at June 6, 2005 7:54 AM