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Sat, 5 May 2001 19:41:55 EDT |
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Sounds like a tragic story.
However having worked in an airport (through an airline) with immigration
officials at LAX i know that your story is not unusual. This is the norm.
I am not excusing people who don't treat people with respect but the
immigration at LAX is overwhelmed. It is normal to have people try to get
into the country illegally. This is a normal daily occurrence in the hundreds
then thousands. I do not think they treat that number of people with respect,
but instead see themselves as doing what they are told. Keep illegals out.
The attitude of immigration is that every passenger has the responsibility to
know the status of their own paperwork. (Which is a warning to anyone who
trust a minimum wage airline counter person with their own visa status
requirements) That it is not the ultimately the responsibility of the airline
carrier. Although airline carriers are fined huge amounts daily when they
screw visa status travelers up and get in trouble. The policy is always to
send the traveler back to their original destination.
Although horrible in treatment (technically anyone who enters illegally is
breaking the law) this is a normal occurrence that is not designed to pick
out directors. That is evidence how normal it is.
I do not justify it, I do not work for them, I think all people should be
treated with respect (even prisoners and many disagree with me, which this
director was not).
However the problem was not presented clearly or with all facts to consider.
This happens to many American citizens as well and was not as simple as
presented in the e-mail argument.
----
Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu
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