2003 Year in Review

Customs and Immigration

I attended a Whiteside Forum mini conference the other night that was presented by Mr. Frank Freas who was talking to us about his charitable work in Northern Mexico where he and a small church supported group build homes for poor Mexicans. He winters in a small south Texas community, but 2 days a week during his winter stay crosses the border with tools and materials to perform their ministry. What impressed many of us was first the initiative and apparent success of Mr. Freas project, but next the obstacles put up by Mexican officials to prevent it. This didn't seem fair, just or right, but I was wrong.

All travelers who cross international borders will come in contact with officials of the state who are in charge of keeping out unwanted guests or goods. These officials at airports or on the border are known as Customs and Immigration officers and they hold great power. Lest we jump to any conclusions that Mexican officials are any more corrupt than anywhere else let me remind you that U.S. 'C&I' officers hold great powers of detention and search which far exceed anything our police forces could legally do. In other words when entering the U.S. you can be stopped, confined for any amount of time, and searched, including every body orifice, and deported without due process or the right of appeal. I am not aware of any great abuse of this power, but they do have it.

I have not been to every country or border crossing, but I dare say I have had more than a fair share of these types of encounters. At the airports in Toronto and Montreal, when returning to the U.S. but before you actually get there you pass through U.S. Customs and Immigration. I am told that C&I officers in Nigeria actually buy their job and then recoup expenses by negotiating bribe money from travelers. In fact in many African countries and maybe elsewhere the custom was to put $10 or $20 in your passport to make sure you actually were stamped and allowed to enter. This had nothing to do with the visas you'd already paid for and obtained prior to leaving home. The I&C officers would also try to extort more money on your departure. That $1 carving you purchased looks an awful lot like a national treasure that you are trying to smuggle out of my country.

On the other hand I have also had the unfortunate experience of traveling abroad without my passport and I made it. Because I have a Seaman's Book with photo identification and proof of nationality I was able to leave the U.S. enter the U.K. and then go on to Germany all without the benefit of proper documentation. You don't need visas for all countries and I don't believe you need them for any European country, so I didn't have to worry about this, but at the same time it did take some time to negotiate entry. However, no money exchanged hands and eventually everyone bought my story. I was going to work, I had an address and a reason to be there. This isn't to say that being a tourist isn't often a better excuse for travel. In Singapore (and I dare say probably if you are a foreigner entering the U.S.) it is better to say you are coming to 'visit' as opposed to working or studying which requires a lot of jumping through hoops and prior approval.

In the end, just like every big city is the same, every C&I officer, regardless of who they are or where they are, all act the same. You, the beleaguered traveler, drag yourself up to their station, they are grumpy because they've already seen 1000 people before you and there are 1000 people behind you (at least at busy border crossings or airports) and they have to mistrust your intentions. They don't know if you are a missionary or a terrorist, but it is their job to figure it out.

I witnessed an amusing event at London's Heathrow Airport one time when a returning British soccer hooligan who had a little too much to drink was trying to return home, but didn't have his passport - probably he didn't even need one. The Immigration officer made him name the Prime Minister and the Captain of the English national cricket team and then sing all verses of 'God Save the Queen' before he would let him in. It was quite entertaining.

Enjoy your trip and don't forget all those important lessons you've learned as a real life 'Survivor': you're the visitor (just one of many), have a good time and spend freely.

by Marc Adami, Guest Columnist
September 30, 2003