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BGonline.org Forums
No bashing, but ... [personaly story, OT]
Posted By: MaX In Response To: No bashing, but ... (Chiva Tafazzoli)
Date: Monday, 27 July 2009, at 11:08 a.m.
Despite being italian and living in france (both friendly countries wrt the US), I have more difficulties than Chiva entering in the US. Actually I can oly enter for business purposes, I'm BANNED for holiday/personal trips.
8 yrs ago, I was coming and going a lot in the US for biz purposes, working for my european company that at the time was in a joint venture with a Cambridge (MA) startup. I wasn't alone, 3 collegues of mine were doing the same. After 10 months, all of a sudden, immigrations stop me at the BOS airport, hours in line, passport and luggage confiscated, lots of questions in a relatively informal and relaxed atmosphere (well, as much as it can be), fair replies from me and then the guy says "Now we're gonna take a deposition. I'm gonna sk you the same questions and you'd rather give me the same answers". Wow, that sounds wrong to me. Anyway ...
Deposition taken with a witness (another US immigration officer, lol). The office was decorated with pictures taken fron the head camera of the nose machine gun of an Apache helicopter.
I've been sent back with the next flight (I did a Nice-Boston round trip in 24hrs). They escortedme to the flight, in the flight, to the seat (!!), and gave the passport to the hostess. Can't describe the eyes of the guy I sitted next to.
They sat me in economy while my ticket was business: I complained but biz cabin was full replied the hostess. The immigration office (that was witing beside the plane door for door lock up, like if I was about to escape) went into the biz cabin, took a random guy, sat him in economy and gave me the biz seat. Once again, can't describe the eyes of the guy.
Why that happened ? No way to know. Lawyers (from my company) have tried to help me but the offical answer of the US government has always been 'Fuck off'.
US left me in total ignorance of what happened and what were the consequences.
I had to travel again to the US after: once I went for my honeymoon in the US VI, but I entered with a business visa (so they didn't ask me the fatal question "have you ever been refused the entry in the US"). Silly.
After, I went (to BOS again, by chance) as a guest of a local company (Mathworks) and I've not been rejected only because I arrived late night (I lost my morning flight and had to take the afternoon, lucky me) and there was no flight going back till next morning. I paid 400$ for a "once in a lifetime emergency visa" and got in. At least I learned I was banned for life in the US.
I've then seen the embassy in Paris (you have to go there, no info on the phone, which by the way costs you 18USD each call, even if the answer to your question is "Sorry, you have to come here in Paris"), where they have given me a 10yrs business visa and warned that for non-biz purposes I'm not welcome on US soil (to put it mildly).
This happened to an italian, try to figure out what happens when you're from less US-friendly countries. My wife is roumanian and she endured this kind of things (to a smaller degree, thanks god) for years and years all across the world. This kind of things suck big time, trust me. There's no justification.
MaX.
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