Columbia, South Carolina —My two-weeks dream vacation in this quaint and quiet but relatively modern capital city of South Carolina to visit my son Jolly and his family who are already US citizens, unfortunately started with a nightmare upon arrival. Atlanta, Georgia, is our point of entry into this country whose reputation as land of “milk and honey” has been seriously undermined by the debilitating financial crisis currently gripping it. And it is where our nightmare started and ended.
Armed with a valid Philippine Passport and a multiple entry visitor’s (R B1/B2) visa duly issued by the US embassy in Manila effective up to March 22, 2017, I expected that checking through the immigration counter together with my wife Josie who is also properly documented to travel here, would be a breeze. Unfortunately, it was only Josie who breezed through the immigration as I found myself being escorted to the office of Homeland Security because I happen to have a surname, given name and sex similar to the head of the NPA that has been classified as a “terrorist group“ ever since the “9-11” terrorist attack that razed to the ground two of the world’s tallest buildings in New York.
Actually it was a repeat of my experience in New York some four years ago where I was also “held” for the same reason they are holding me now. I thought my “identity problem” was already solved then and such harrowing experience would be forever a thing of the past because I was already given “clearance” to enter US in 2005 after holding me for several hours and ascertaining that I was not and has never been their suspected terrorist.
Hence the experience this time at Atlanta, Georgia is more harrowing, frustrating and traumatic when the immigration agent at the counter had me escorted by homeland security to their holding office with my wife in tow who was wheel-chair bound because of her dizziness problem. It was really quite an ordeal because we missed our connecting flight and were on stand-by list for the next several flights which would not have happened if the immigration people just considered the following facts on record: (1) that my given name is Jose and not Jose Maria; (2) that my middle initial “C” is different from the middle initial of the person whom they suspected me to be; (3) that my passport photo does not resemble at all the file photo of their suspect; (4) that four years ago New York already ascertained I am not the same guy; and (5) that I have a duly issued US visa which has been renewed several times as I have been entering in and out of the US for the past several years.
My greater lament and bigger disappointment is that I have always looked up to the US as the champion of democracy and the bastion of freedom with a government being run by qualified, competent, and dedicated officials and personnel; that it is the “land of the brave and home of the free“ with many scenic and breathtakingly beautiful places which, combined together, attract lots of immigrants and tourist all over the world. But with my recent experience especially on its homeland security policies and practices, I am inclining to adopt a view that it is slowly becoming a country overcome by paranoia and fear. Hence I hope it would review its security policies and practices so it will again live up to its reputation as the land of the brave and home of the free. Otherwise, terrorists would think that their acts of terrorism have served its purpose of precisely instilling fear among people all over the world; especially in the U.S.A. This will be a big let-down to their great leader, Franklin D. Roosevelt who reminded Americans during another period of depression in America that: “The only thing to fear is fear itself”.
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