Tuesday, February 28, 2017 9:37:30 AM
Leading French academic threatened with deportation at Houston airport
A Customs and Border Protection officer works at George Bush intercontinental airport in Houston, where Henry Rousso was detained.
Henry Rousso was due to take part in a symposium at Texas A&M University
Ten-hour ordeal highlights ‘total arbitrariness and incompetence’
26 February 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/26/henry-rousso-french-academic-deportation-houston-airport
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French Historian Says He Was Threatened With Deportation at Houston Airport
Henry Rousso, a well-respected historian, has been a regular visitor for 30 years to the United States. He said he was unsure when he would return.
FEB. 26, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/us/french-historian-detained-immigration-henry-rousso.html
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U.S. detains and nearly deports French Holocaust historian
February 26, 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/26/u-s-detains-and-nearly-deports-french-jewish-historian/ [with embedded video, and comments]
*
The Vichy Syndrome
History and Memory in France since 1944
By Henry Rousso
Translated by Arthur Goldhammer
Foreword by Stanley Hoffmann
From the Liberation purges to the Barbie trial, France has struggled with the memory of the Vichy experience: a memory of defeat, occupation, and repression. In this provocative study, Henry Rousso examines how this proud nation—a nation where reality and myth commingle to confound understanding—has dealt with les années noires. Specifically, he studies what the French have chosen to remember—and to conceal.
“Rousso has set out to provide not just another narrative of les années noires—the years of defeat, occupation, of the phantom ‘French State’ and the civil war—but a study of the way the Vichy episode has been perceived and perverted by the French ever since. The result is a brilliant and intemperate book that is also a tract for the times.”—The Economist
“Succeeds as a practical demonstration, for a particularly vivid case, of how to study a people grappling with a past. It is remarkable how few similar works there are… One understands a historian’s hesitation before the poorly documented and ill-defined wider popular memory as a subject. Rousso shows us, however, how dramatic and revealing this genre can be.”—Robert O. Paxton, The New York Review of Books
“This is an original and thought-provoking work, a ‘must’ for anyone interested in the political and cultural psychology of post-war France.”—Nelly Wilson, Jewish Quarterly
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674935396
*
Is The United States Still The United States?
A Continental Airlines Inc. Boeing plane lands at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
My 10-hour detention at the Houston airport suggests otherwise.
02/27/2017 09:57 am ET | Updated February 27, 2017
On February 22, I was arrested at 2:30 p.m. at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston landing from Paris. I had to attend a symposium at Texas A&M University. I was interrogated for several hours following a random check of Customs and Borders Protection. Because I was in possession of a simple tourist visa, the policeman who was in charge of my case explained that I wasn’t allowed to give a lecture and receive an honorarium. I replied that it was the university that did all the formalities and that I have been doing this for 30 years without any trouble. Examining my passport, the policeman noted that I recently received a “J1” visa, granted to academics, having been a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York from September 2016 to January 2017. He concluded that I was returning to work “illegally” in the U.S. with an expired visa. I was therefore in breach, a decision confirmed by his hierarchical superior who I didn’t have a chance to meet.
This was followed by an extensive interrogation, the recording of my fingerprints, a search of the body in order. I protested, but “this is the procedure.” The policeman then informed me that I would be deported back to Paris on the next plane. He added that I will never be able to enter the country again without a specific visa. I couldn’t do anything but call my colleague from the university. The policeman called the consulate of France, but after several hours and with an inappropriate number, so I couldn’t benefit from this assistance.
During my detention, which lasted a total of ten hours, I mostly sat in a chair, without a telephone, but with the possibility to drink or eat. Most policemen had a regulatory tone, but some sneered discreetly as they watched the population under their control. A female police officer bawled at a woman whose three-year-old was running in all directions. A man suddenly had to sit down after getting up to inquire about his case because three police officers immediately reacted.
By 9:00 p.m., there were only half a dozen people left. I was the only European, the only “Caucasian.” Two police officers arrived and headed for the gentleman seated in front of me, maybe a Mexican. They were coming to take him to the boarding gate. Then they handcuffed him, chained him at the waist, and shackled him. I couldn’t believe it and I wondered if I would have to endure the same fate. As far as I have understood from what an officer told me later, this was indeed the procedure for all the people to be deported, a shameful practice apparently required by the airline companies.
At 1:30 a.m. - I had left Paris over 26 hours earlier - a policeman summons me, gives me back my phone and my passport, and declares me eligible to enter the United States. The restrictions imposed on me are lifted – but I don’t know what will remain in the files. He explains that the officer who examined my case was “inexperienced” and didn’t know that some activities, including those related to education, enjoyed an exceptional regime and could be carried out with a simple tourist visa. He lets me know that, having a lot of experience, he saw the problem when he took his post earlier in the night. He is kind enough to drive me out of the airport, a totally deserted place, telling me the address of a hotel nearby. At no time did he or his colleagues apologize. I will later learn that my release was not fortuitous. It is the result of my colleague’s call to the president of Texas A&M, who immediately alerted a law professor in charge of immigration issues [ http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/egyptian-born-professor-set-to-speak-at-hias-detained-by/article_2ffe7467-c576-5220-9743-895cec0a3079.html ]. Without them, I would have probably been handcuffed, chained, and shackled back to Paris.
This incident has caused me some discomfort, but I cannot stop thinking of all those who suffer these humiliations and legal violence without the protections I was able to benefit from. A professional historian, I am aware of hasty interpretations. Meanwhile, I can raise some questions. Why did the random check fall on me? My “case” visibly presented a problem before even thorough examination. Maybe it’s my birthplace, Egypt, maybe my academic status, maybe my recent work visa expired, maybe my French citizenship too. Perhaps also, the current context. Even if I had made a mistake, which was not the case, did I deserve such treatment? How can one explain this zeal if not by the concern to fulfill quotas and justify increased controls? That is the situation today in this country. We must now face arbitrariness and incompetence at all levels. I heard recently that “Paris isn’t Paris anymore [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/02/24/trump-trashed-paris-in-his-cpac-speech-the-citys-mayor-fired-back/ ].” The United States seems no longer quite the United States.
This post was first published on Le Huffington Post [ http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/henry-rousso/muslim-ban-donald-trump-etats-unis/ ].
Copyright © 2017 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-the-united-states-still-the-united-states_us_58b4393ce4b0780bac2b778f
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Santa Cruz Police Accuse Homeland Security Of Lying To Cover Up Immigrant Sweep
02/25/2017 Updated February 27, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/santa-cruz-ice_us_58b21722e4b060480e089046 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT4gaCwc2q0 [embedded; with comments]
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U.S. Blocks Young Syrian ‘White Helmets’ Cinematographer From Oscars
02/25/2017 Updated February 27, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-helmets-cinematographer_us_58b12322e4b060480e084395 [with (another) embedded video], http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wj4ncIEDxw [embedded; with comments]
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Report: Muhammad Ali Jr. Was Detained at Airport, Asked [At Least Twice] If Muslim
February 25, 2017
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/report-muhammad-ali-jr-detained-at-airport-asked-if-muslim.html [with comments]
*
Muhammad Ali’s son was not detained because he’s Muslim, Customs officials say
Muhammad Ali Jr. is shown with his famous father in 1975.
February 26, 2017
Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother[, both native-born U.S. citizens with valid U.S. passports,] were detained at a Florida airport and asked about their religion as they returned from Jamaica, according to a family spokesman who said they were flagged for their “Arabic-sounding names.” However, Customs and Border Protection said that it treats “all travelers with respect and sensitivity.”
Ali Jr., the son of the late boxer whose fame and outspokenness made him one of the most visible and instantly recognizable sports figures on the planet, was with Khalilah Camacho-Ali, who was Ali’s second wife, and was asked at least twice about his religion, according to family friend and attorney Chris Mancini. Ali, who was born in Philadelphia in 1972 and has a U.S. passport, and his mother, who had delivered a speech on black history in Jamaica, are both Muslim, as was Ali’s father, who converted to Islam in 1964.
“To the Ali family, it’s crystal clear that this is directly linked to [President] Trump’s efforts to ban Muslims from the United States,” Mancini told the Courier-Journal [ http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/02/24/muhammad-ali-jr-detained-immigration-fla-airport/98376180/ ] in Louisville, where the senior Ali was born and was buried last June, on Friday about the alleged incident, which occurred Feb. 7.
Mancini said that Ali and his mother were initially flagged by immigration agents for their “Arabic-sounding” names. He said Camacho-Ali was not detained after she showed officials a photograph of herself with her ex-husband, but when Ali Jr. could not produce a photograph of himself with his father, who died last year, immigration officials separated the two and detained Ali for approximately two hours.
Mancini told the Miami New Times [ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/muhammad-alis-son-illegally-detained-at-fort-lauderdale-hollywood-international-airport-attorney-says-9164544 ] that immigration officers asked Ali Jr. about his religion within the first 30 minutes of being detained and again when he was taken to a small holding room where he was held for another 90 minutes.
“What right does the United States have to inquire about somebody’s religion when they enter the country?” Mancini told the New Times. “There was no other basis for a secondary inspection. This is an instance where the ban has been enforced even though it has been thrown out. The government is still trying to find grounds to keep Muslims out.”
In a statement emailed Sunday morning to The Post, U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that its “officers adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. Every day CBP officers process more than 1.2 million international travelers. We accomplish our mission with vigilance and in accordance with the law. CBP does not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
“We treat all travelers with respect and sensitivity. Integrity is our cornerstone. We are guided by the highest ethical and moral principles.
“Privacy concerns prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from discussing individual cases of travelers arriving at U.S. ports of entry. CBP follows the privacy policy of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/02/25/muhammad-alis-son-reportedly-detained-at-airport-asked-twice-about-his-religion/ [
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Son of boxer Muhammad Ali detained at Florida airport on return from Jamaica
February 25, 2017
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Son-of-boxer-Muhammad-Ali-detained-at-Florida-airport-on-return-from-Jamaica [with comments]
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Australian children's author Mem Fox detained by US border control: 'I sobbed like a baby'
The experience left Fox feeling like she had been ‘physically assaulted’.
Author of Possum Magic was aggressively questioned over her visa status and later received an apology for her treatment by border guards
24 February 2017
The Australian children’s book author Mem Fox has suggested she might never return to the US after she was detained and insulted by border control agents at Los Angeles airport.
Fox, who is famous worldwide for her best-selling books including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes and Possum Magic, was en route to a conference in Milwaukee earlier this month when she was stopped.
She told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/mem-fox-detained-at-los-angeles-airport-by-us-officials/8303366 ] she was detained for one hour and 40 minutes and questioned by border agents for 15 minutes in front of a room full of people – an experience that left her feeling like she had been physically assaulted.
“I have never in my life been spoken to with such insolence, treated with such disdain, with so many insults and with so much gratuitous impoliteness,” Fox said.
“I felt like I had been physically assaulted which is why, when I got to my hotel room, I completely collapsed and sobbed like a baby, and I’m 70 years old.”
The author attributed the aggressive questioning to border police who had been “turbocharged” by Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban.
Fox said she was questioned over her visa, despite having travelled to America 116 times before without incident. She was eventually granted access to the country.
After lodging a complaint over her treatment with the Australian embassy in Washington and the US embassy in Canberra, Fox received an emailed apology from US officials.
Fox said she was shocked by her treatment and “couldn’t imagine” returning to the US.
[...]
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/australian-childrens-author-mem-fox-detained-by-us-border-control-i-sobbed-like-a-baby
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British Muslim teacher denied entry to US on school trip
Juhel Miah from south Wales was removed from plane in Reykjavik despite suspension of president’s travel ban
20 February 2017
A British Muslim schoolteacher travelling to New York last week as a member of a school party from south Wales was denied entry to the United States.
Juhel Miah and a group of children and other teachers were about to take off from Iceland on 16 February on their way to the US when he was removed from the plane at Reykjavik. The previous week, on the 10 February, a US appeals court had upheld a decision to suspend Donald Trump’s executive order [ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/09/judges-deny-trump-travel-ban-enforcement-uphold-order ] that temporarily banned entry to the country from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The trip proceeded as planned but pupils and colleagues from Llangatwg comprehensive in Aberdulais were left shocked and distressed after the maths teacher, who had valid visa documentation, was escorted from the aircraft by security personnel.
Miah, 25, from Swansea, said he was made to feel like a criminal and was so worried by what happened to him that he did not eat or sleep for two days. He told Wales Online that shortly before the flight was due to leave he was approached by an official who told him he could not board the plane.
“Everyone was looking at me,” Miah said. “As I was getting my luggage the teachers and kids were confused. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was being escorted out. It made me feel like a criminal. I couldn’t speak, I was lost for words.
“We got to the airport, and as soon as we got to check in, the lady behind the desk read my passport and then straight away said you’ve been selected for a random security check.
[...]
The school booked him on to a flight back to the UK. The school party was due to return to the UK on 20 February.
The teacher’s employer, Neath Port Talbot council [ https://www.npt.gov.uk/ ], has written to the US embassy in London demanding an explanation and the issue is being taken up by Welsh politicians.
A council spokesman said Miah was left feeling belittled at what it described as “an unjustified act of discrimination”. The council said the teacher is a British citizen and does not have dual nationality.
The spokesman said: “Juhel Miah was with a party from Llangatwg comprehensive who travelled initially to Iceland en route to New York last week. Mr Miah boarded the onward flight in Reykjavik on 16 February but was escorted from the aircraft by security personnel. While the school trip proceeded as planned, Mr Miah’s removal from the flight left pupils and colleagues shocked and distressed.
“The local authority understands that Mr Miah was refused permission by the United States authorities to fly to New York, despite being issued with a valid visa for travel. Mr Miah is a popular and respected teacher at Llangatwg comprehensive school. He is a Welsh Muslim.
“We are appalled by the treatment of Mr Miah and are demanding an explanation. The matter has also been raised with our local MP.
“No satisfactory reason has been provided for refusing entry to the United States – either at the airport in Iceland or subsequently at the US embassy in Reykjavik. Mr Miah attempted to visit the embassy but was denied access to the building. Understandably he feels belittled and upset at what appears to be an unjustified act of discrimination.”
[...]
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/20/british-muslim-teacher-denied-entry-to-us-on-school-trip
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National security adviser: Term 'radical Islamic terrorism' isn't helpful
McMaster said jihadist terrorists aren't true to their religion
He also signaled that Russia is an adversary, not a friend
Updated February 25, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/25/politics/nsa-radical-islamic-terror-term-unhelpful/
*
H.R. McMaster Breaks With Administration on Views of Islam
President Trump appointed Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, left, as national security adviser on Monday.
FEB. 24, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/politics/hr-mcmaster-trump-islam.html
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in addition to (linked in) the post to which this is a reply and preceding and (other) following, see also (linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129013333 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129013603 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129013931 and preceding and following,
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129057596 and preceding (and any future following)
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129014665 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129014866 and preceding (and any future following)
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129025947 and preceding (and any future following)
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129026214 and preceding and following,
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129057886 and preceding (and any future following)
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129053543 and preceding (and any future following)
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=129059079 and preceding and following
A Customs and Border Protection officer works at George Bush intercontinental airport in Houston, where Henry Rousso was detained.
Henry Rousso was due to take part in a symposium at Texas A&M University
Ten-hour ordeal highlights ‘total arbitrariness and incompetence’
26 February 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/26/henry-rousso-french-academic-deportation-houston-airport
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French Historian Says He Was Threatened With Deportation at Houston Airport
Henry Rousso, a well-respected historian, has been a regular visitor for 30 years to the United States. He said he was unsure when he would return.
FEB. 26, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/26/us/french-historian-detained-immigration-henry-rousso.html
*
U.S. detains and nearly deports French Holocaust historian
February 26, 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/26/u-s-detains-and-nearly-deports-french-jewish-historian/ [with embedded video, and comments]
*
The Vichy Syndrome
History and Memory in France since 1944
By Henry Rousso
Translated by Arthur Goldhammer
Foreword by Stanley Hoffmann
From the Liberation purges to the Barbie trial, France has struggled with the memory of the Vichy experience: a memory of defeat, occupation, and repression. In this provocative study, Henry Rousso examines how this proud nation—a nation where reality and myth commingle to confound understanding—has dealt with les années noires. Specifically, he studies what the French have chosen to remember—and to conceal.
“Rousso has set out to provide not just another narrative of les années noires—the years of defeat, occupation, of the phantom ‘French State’ and the civil war—but a study of the way the Vichy episode has been perceived and perverted by the French ever since. The result is a brilliant and intemperate book that is also a tract for the times.”—The Economist
“Succeeds as a practical demonstration, for a particularly vivid case, of how to study a people grappling with a past. It is remarkable how few similar works there are… One understands a historian’s hesitation before the poorly documented and ill-defined wider popular memory as a subject. Rousso shows us, however, how dramatic and revealing this genre can be.”—Robert O. Paxton, The New York Review of Books
“This is an original and thought-provoking work, a ‘must’ for anyone interested in the political and cultural psychology of post-war France.”—Nelly Wilson, Jewish Quarterly
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674935396
*
Is The United States Still The United States?
A Continental Airlines Inc. Boeing plane lands at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
My 10-hour detention at the Houston airport suggests otherwise.
02/27/2017 09:57 am ET | Updated February 27, 2017
On February 22, I was arrested at 2:30 p.m. at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston landing from Paris. I had to attend a symposium at Texas A&M University. I was interrogated for several hours following a random check of Customs and Borders Protection. Because I was in possession of a simple tourist visa, the policeman who was in charge of my case explained that I wasn’t allowed to give a lecture and receive an honorarium. I replied that it was the university that did all the formalities and that I have been doing this for 30 years without any trouble. Examining my passport, the policeman noted that I recently received a “J1” visa, granted to academics, having been a visiting professor at Columbia University in New York from September 2016 to January 2017. He concluded that I was returning to work “illegally” in the U.S. with an expired visa. I was therefore in breach, a decision confirmed by his hierarchical superior who I didn’t have a chance to meet.
This was followed by an extensive interrogation, the recording of my fingerprints, a search of the body in order. I protested, but “this is the procedure.” The policeman then informed me that I would be deported back to Paris on the next plane. He added that I will never be able to enter the country again without a specific visa. I couldn’t do anything but call my colleague from the university. The policeman called the consulate of France, but after several hours and with an inappropriate number, so I couldn’t benefit from this assistance.
During my detention, which lasted a total of ten hours, I mostly sat in a chair, without a telephone, but with the possibility to drink or eat. Most policemen had a regulatory tone, but some sneered discreetly as they watched the population under their control. A female police officer bawled at a woman whose three-year-old was running in all directions. A man suddenly had to sit down after getting up to inquire about his case because three police officers immediately reacted.
By 9:00 p.m., there were only half a dozen people left. I was the only European, the only “Caucasian.” Two police officers arrived and headed for the gentleman seated in front of me, maybe a Mexican. They were coming to take him to the boarding gate. Then they handcuffed him, chained him at the waist, and shackled him. I couldn’t believe it and I wondered if I would have to endure the same fate. As far as I have understood from what an officer told me later, this was indeed the procedure for all the people to be deported, a shameful practice apparently required by the airline companies.
At 1:30 a.m. - I had left Paris over 26 hours earlier - a policeman summons me, gives me back my phone and my passport, and declares me eligible to enter the United States. The restrictions imposed on me are lifted – but I don’t know what will remain in the files. He explains that the officer who examined my case was “inexperienced” and didn’t know that some activities, including those related to education, enjoyed an exceptional regime and could be carried out with a simple tourist visa. He lets me know that, having a lot of experience, he saw the problem when he took his post earlier in the night. He is kind enough to drive me out of the airport, a totally deserted place, telling me the address of a hotel nearby. At no time did he or his colleagues apologize. I will later learn that my release was not fortuitous. It is the result of my colleague’s call to the president of Texas A&M, who immediately alerted a law professor in charge of immigration issues [ http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/egyptian-born-professor-set-to-speak-at-hias-detained-by/article_2ffe7467-c576-5220-9743-895cec0a3079.html ]. Without them, I would have probably been handcuffed, chained, and shackled back to Paris.
This incident has caused me some discomfort, but I cannot stop thinking of all those who suffer these humiliations and legal violence without the protections I was able to benefit from. A professional historian, I am aware of hasty interpretations. Meanwhile, I can raise some questions. Why did the random check fall on me? My “case” visibly presented a problem before even thorough examination. Maybe it’s my birthplace, Egypt, maybe my academic status, maybe my recent work visa expired, maybe my French citizenship too. Perhaps also, the current context. Even if I had made a mistake, which was not the case, did I deserve such treatment? How can one explain this zeal if not by the concern to fulfill quotas and justify increased controls? That is the situation today in this country. We must now face arbitrariness and incompetence at all levels. I heard recently that “Paris isn’t Paris anymore [ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/02/24/trump-trashed-paris-in-his-cpac-speech-the-citys-mayor-fired-back/ ].” The United States seems no longer quite the United States.
This post was first published on Le Huffington Post [ http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/henry-rousso/muslim-ban-donald-trump-etats-unis/ ].
Copyright © 2017 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-the-united-states-still-the-united-states_us_58b4393ce4b0780bac2b778f
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Santa Cruz Police Accuse Homeland Security Of Lying To Cover Up Immigrant Sweep
“We cannot work with those we cannot trust,” the police chief said.
02/25/2017 Updated February 27, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/santa-cruz-ice_us_58b21722e4b060480e089046 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT4gaCwc2q0 [embedded; with comments]
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U.S. Blocks Young Syrian ‘White Helmets’ Cinematographer From Oscars
Officials suddenly discover unspecified “derogatory information.”
02/25/2017 Updated February 27, 2017
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-helmets-cinematographer_us_58b12322e4b060480e084395 [with (another) embedded video], http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wj4ncIEDxw [embedded; with comments]
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Report: Muhammad Ali Jr. Was Detained at Airport, Asked [At Least Twice] If Muslim
February 25, 2017
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/report-muhammad-ali-jr-detained-at-airport-asked-if-muslim.html [with comments]
*
Muhammad Ali’s son was not detained because he’s Muslim, Customs officials say
Muhammad Ali Jr. is shown with his famous father in 1975.
February 26, 2017
Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother[, both native-born U.S. citizens with valid U.S. passports,] were detained at a Florida airport and asked about their religion as they returned from Jamaica, according to a family spokesman who said they were flagged for their “Arabic-sounding names.” However, Customs and Border Protection said that it treats “all travelers with respect and sensitivity.”
Ali Jr., the son of the late boxer whose fame and outspokenness made him one of the most visible and instantly recognizable sports figures on the planet, was with Khalilah Camacho-Ali, who was Ali’s second wife, and was asked at least twice about his religion, according to family friend and attorney Chris Mancini. Ali, who was born in Philadelphia in 1972 and has a U.S. passport, and his mother, who had delivered a speech on black history in Jamaica, are both Muslim, as was Ali’s father, who converted to Islam in 1964.
“To the Ali family, it’s crystal clear that this is directly linked to [President] Trump’s efforts to ban Muslims from the United States,” Mancini told the Courier-Journal [ http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2017/02/24/muhammad-ali-jr-detained-immigration-fla-airport/98376180/ ] in Louisville, where the senior Ali was born and was buried last June, on Friday about the alleged incident, which occurred Feb. 7.
Mancini said that Ali and his mother were initially flagged by immigration agents for their “Arabic-sounding” names. He said Camacho-Ali was not detained after she showed officials a photograph of herself with her ex-husband, but when Ali Jr. could not produce a photograph of himself with his father, who died last year, immigration officials separated the two and detained Ali for approximately two hours.
Mancini told the Miami New Times [ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/muhammad-alis-son-illegally-detained-at-fort-lauderdale-hollywood-international-airport-attorney-says-9164544 ] that immigration officers asked Ali Jr. about his religion within the first 30 minutes of being detained and again when he was taken to a small holding room where he was held for another 90 minutes.
“What right does the United States have to inquire about somebody’s religion when they enter the country?” Mancini told the New Times. “There was no other basis for a secondary inspection. This is an instance where the ban has been enforced even though it has been thrown out. The government is still trying to find grounds to keep Muslims out.”
In a statement emailed Sunday morning to The Post, U.S. Customs and Border Protection noted that its “officers adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. Every day CBP officers process more than 1.2 million international travelers. We accomplish our mission with vigilance and in accordance with the law. CBP does not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
“We treat all travelers with respect and sensitivity. Integrity is our cornerstone. We are guided by the highest ethical and moral principles.
“Privacy concerns prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from discussing individual cases of travelers arriving at U.S. ports of entry. CBP follows the privacy policy of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/02/25/muhammad-alis-son-reportedly-detained-at-airport-asked-twice-about-his-religion/ [
*
Son of boxer Muhammad Ali detained at Florida airport on return from Jamaica
February 25, 2017
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Son-of-boxer-Muhammad-Ali-detained-at-Florida-airport-on-return-from-Jamaica [with comments]
--
Australian children's author Mem Fox detained by US border control: 'I sobbed like a baby'
The experience left Fox feeling like she had been ‘physically assaulted’.
Author of Possum Magic was aggressively questioned over her visa status and later received an apology for her treatment by border guards
24 February 2017
The Australian children’s book author Mem Fox has suggested she might never return to the US after she was detained and insulted by border control agents at Los Angeles airport.
Fox, who is famous worldwide for her best-selling books including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes and Possum Magic, was en route to a conference in Milwaukee earlier this month when she was stopped.
She told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/mem-fox-detained-at-los-angeles-airport-by-us-officials/8303366 ] she was detained for one hour and 40 minutes and questioned by border agents for 15 minutes in front of a room full of people – an experience that left her feeling like she had been physically assaulted.
“I have never in my life been spoken to with such insolence, treated with such disdain, with so many insults and with so much gratuitous impoliteness,” Fox said.
“I felt like I had been physically assaulted which is why, when I got to my hotel room, I completely collapsed and sobbed like a baby, and I’m 70 years old.”
The author attributed the aggressive questioning to border police who had been “turbocharged” by Donald Trump’s proposed travel ban.
Fox said she was questioned over her visa, despite having travelled to America 116 times before without incident. She was eventually granted access to the country.
After lodging a complaint over her treatment with the Australian embassy in Washington and the US embassy in Canberra, Fox received an emailed apology from US officials.
Fox said she was shocked by her treatment and “couldn’t imagine” returning to the US.
[...]
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/25/australian-childrens-author-mem-fox-detained-by-us-border-control-i-sobbed-like-a-baby
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British Muslim teacher denied entry to US on school trip
Juhel Miah from south Wales was removed from plane in Reykjavik despite suspension of president’s travel ban
20 February 2017
A British Muslim schoolteacher travelling to New York last week as a member of a school party from south Wales was denied entry to the United States.
Juhel Miah and a group of children and other teachers were about to take off from Iceland on 16 February on their way to the US when he was removed from the plane at Reykjavik. The previous week, on the 10 February, a US appeals court had upheld a decision to suspend Donald Trump’s executive order [ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/09/judges-deny-trump-travel-ban-enforcement-uphold-order ] that temporarily banned entry to the country from seven Muslim-majority countries.
The trip proceeded as planned but pupils and colleagues from Llangatwg comprehensive in Aberdulais were left shocked and distressed after the maths teacher, who had valid visa documentation, was escorted from the aircraft by security personnel.
Miah, 25, from Swansea, said he was made to feel like a criminal and was so worried by what happened to him that he did not eat or sleep for two days. He told Wales Online that shortly before the flight was due to leave he was approached by an official who told him he could not board the plane.
“Everyone was looking at me,” Miah said. “As I was getting my luggage the teachers and kids were confused. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I was being escorted out. It made me feel like a criminal. I couldn’t speak, I was lost for words.
“We got to the airport, and as soon as we got to check in, the lady behind the desk read my passport and then straight away said you’ve been selected for a random security check.
[...]
The school booked him on to a flight back to the UK. The school party was due to return to the UK on 20 February.
The teacher’s employer, Neath Port Talbot council [ https://www.npt.gov.uk/ ], has written to the US embassy in London demanding an explanation and the issue is being taken up by Welsh politicians.
A council spokesman said Miah was left feeling belittled at what it described as “an unjustified act of discrimination”. The council said the teacher is a British citizen and does not have dual nationality.
The spokesman said: “Juhel Miah was with a party from Llangatwg comprehensive who travelled initially to Iceland en route to New York last week. Mr Miah boarded the onward flight in Reykjavik on 16 February but was escorted from the aircraft by security personnel. While the school trip proceeded as planned, Mr Miah’s removal from the flight left pupils and colleagues shocked and distressed.
“The local authority understands that Mr Miah was refused permission by the United States authorities to fly to New York, despite being issued with a valid visa for travel. Mr Miah is a popular and respected teacher at Llangatwg comprehensive school. He is a Welsh Muslim.
“We are appalled by the treatment of Mr Miah and are demanding an explanation. The matter has also been raised with our local MP.
“No satisfactory reason has been provided for refusing entry to the United States – either at the airport in Iceland or subsequently at the US embassy in Reykjavik. Mr Miah attempted to visit the embassy but was denied access to the building. Understandably he feels belittled and upset at what appears to be an unjustified act of discrimination.”
[...]
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/20/british-muslim-teacher-denied-entry-to-us-on-school-trip
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National security adviser: Term 'radical Islamic terrorism' isn't helpful
McMaster said jihadist terrorists aren't true to their religion
He also signaled that Russia is an adversary, not a friend
Updated February 25, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/25/politics/nsa-radical-islamic-terror-term-unhelpful/
*
H.R. McMaster Breaks With Administration on Views of Islam
President Trump appointed Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, left, as national security adviser on Monday.
FEB. 24, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/politics/hr-mcmaster-trump-islam.html
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Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
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