Guest Column
Migrant Diaries 1: A Taste of Their Own Medicine
- By Colin Rajah
- National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR)
- January 27, 2005
Once again, the anxious awaiting of travel documents and visas plagued the days leading up to my intended departure to Porto Alegre, to participate in the 5th World Social Forum (WSF). Last year, I had to practically haggle to get my visa to India (WSF IV), and the previous year saw a similar careful negotiation with U.S.CIS to get my documents to go to the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Mexico.
This time, it took persistent pestering of not one, but two U.S. Representatives offices (Barbara Lee’s and Nancy Pelosi’s) to get my travel documents FedEx-ed to my home literally a few hours before flight departure. Even though the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services budget has dramatically increased over the past decade, the wait time for the simple annual renewal of a refugee travel document has gone from about a month, to an average of 290 days, and the fees have almost doubled, all in just the past 2 years.
And expect the waiting to get longer in 2005. Funding for immigration services has not kept pace with the budget for interior enforcement and border security, especially since 2001. The Bush Administration just submitted its Department of Homeland Security budget “request” of $40.2 billion for 2005, an increase of $20.4 billion or 103 percent over the 2001 level. The 2005 DHS budget will expand interior immigration law enforcement and border security – at a tune of $30.8 billion; while less than one third will be dedicated to services ($9.3 billion).
Oh and speaking of departure, my early arrival at the Oakland airport was rewarded with a full hour at the check-in counter, arguing with the ticket agent over my visa, and who are authorized to scrutinize travel documents and visas, although most have never seen a refugee travel document in their lives even. He couldn’t understand the abbreviated letters MALAY in the document referred to Malaysia, not the non-existent country “Malay”, and it took the hour to haggle with him while he called various government agencies to verify what I was trying to explain. Once it was all confirmed, he came back with the infamous “Brazil insists on visas for Americans because they all hate Americans there...” Gee, I wonder why!
Brazil, like a few other countries in the Global South, has a policy of instituting similar requirements and fees for U.S. citizens traveling to their country, as the U.S. imposes on their citizens who are traveling to the U.S. Minus the days of hassle, of course.
I remembered the notice at the Brazilian consulate which simply states, “The Brazilian government imposes the visa requirement and fees (etc.) in DIRECT RETRIBUTION to U.S. immigration policies (etc.)...” Ah, finally U.S. travelers get a tiny taste of what immigrants and travelers to the U.S. have to go through.
But the best is the immigration check upon arrival at the São Paulo airport. Aside from the unusually long wait line, there’s an additional line to the side with the sign “U.S. Citizens.” It appears that random U.S. citizens are required to go through a second round of immigration checks, similar to the secondary inspection many of us non-U.S. citizens of color are accustomed to at ports of entries around the U.S.
Although it’s nothing more than just a symbolic procedure, I feel sorry for the folks who have to go through it, grumbling silently or anxiously looking at how long it’s taking. But deep down, I also can’t help but feel just a little bit of satisfaction, that U.S. citizens are getting a tiny taste of their government’s own medicine.
I know, I know, U.S. citizens shouldn’t be penalized for their government’s racist and anti-immigrant policies, but maybe, and just maybe, the message will trickle up to Washington that this form of profiling and human tracking cannot stand. It’s certainly a message that many of us immigrants are bringing to the World Social Forum and hoping to come away with some shared knowledge, fresh ideas and strategies, and new-found friends and allies to work alongside with. Check back here soon for upcoming progress reports on these.
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Colin Rajah works for NNIRR’s international program as a consultant.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Arnoldo Garcia
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados
310 8th Street Suite 303
Oakland, CA 94607
Tel (510) 465-1984 ext. 305
Fax (510) 465-1885
http://www.nnirr.org/