Some mutterings and primal anxiety, as I prepare to cross the pond for Islam Expo

Originally published 08 June 2008
Last updated 30 September 2019

After more than 21 years of international travel my globetrotting (albeit it rather limited to London of late) seems to have caught the interest/attention of the powers that be in my country of birth, America.  As mentioned in a previous post on this blog I was stopped and integrated by two CBP (Custom Border Patrol agents (women) while two men watch (one male CBP agent and a man in a suit taking notes) in November 2007.

 It was nothing short of frightening, humiliating and demeaning. Then in March of this year (2008) I was stopped again on my return home (to the USA) and questioned again by one the two women who questioned me in November 2007. It is quite “interesting” that my government thought it was necessary for me to meet again one of the four people who had so violated me in November 2007.

In July 2008 I am crossing the pond to attend several Islamic functions. As always I will be forthcoming with British Immigrations about the purpose of my trip. In addition, I register my trips with the US Embassy in London via the State Department offers a free online service for all Americans to register their trips abroad. Which means what I am doing in London should be of little surprise to anyone. Still I must admit, I am nervous about facing Immigrations in my own country – my country of birth.

It is not that I have anything to hide…on the contrary as stated above my travels should be of little surprise to an. Still I am leery of US Immigrations. Of late I feel that the “War on Terror” has been engulfed with a mentality that is a mixture of fear/lack of knowledge/hubris/intimidation...that often leads to bullying people simply because they look, act, sound, or are perceived to be 'different.' 

Literally when walking through an airport in America I get the feeling that CBP has been programmed with the mantra, “US against them.” And I wonder if this is an effective manner of protecting America?

I have always thought that the role of Customs/Immigration in this country (or any country) was to protect the borders and gather intelligence all while operating under the auspice of the rule of law. 

If what is happening to me and many others that I know crossing the pond is indicative of a pattern…that is simply not the case. Instead I feel that the role of CBP is simply to instill feelings of fear and intimidation amongst the general population...focusing particularly on the population of travelers who are deemed to be "different" and therefore not one of "US".

People are routinely singled out because they “appear” to be Muslim or are traveling alone. In fact two years ago on a transatlantic flight returning to the States there was a Muslim woman traveling with her young son; she was wearing a hijab. I and another woman warned her that she would be singled out for harassment because she was visibly Muslim and traveling with a young child. 

She naively thought we were wrong. Sadly we were right…and literally the woman was being screamed at and told they (CBP) could not understand what she was saying. Now I cannot say with 100% certainty that this woman was a benign international traveler, however her accent laced English was easily understood by all – except it appears the two CBP agents screaming at her.

And then my experience of November 2007 being screamed at by a young, Latin X,  woman as she walked me from the plane to passport control…I still wonder how her behavior aided the US in keeping our borders safe? Also as this young, female CBP agent led me from the exit of the plane to passport control she spoke to me in Ebonics.

 Her neck gyrated to and fro like a turkey ready for battle as she waved her hands around in this most distasteful caricatured of a Black woman. She let me know right away that she thought I was a criminal and then she said she was sure that I was stopped all the time by CBP.  That was an interesting comment. Was the ISIS agent yet again voicing her beliefs that I was a nefarious character that needed to be rooted out...Or was she admitting CBP propensity for stopping women of color?

In fact the more vocal of my integrators was so sure I was up to something that she did not even bother to look at my passport file once I was processed through passport control. This young woman seemed to have a mission at hand, and it seemed to be completely based on her voicing her beliefs that my international travels were unusual and therefore I must be up to something despicable. 

It was also interesting to note that this young woman seemed to quite enjoy and found great pleasure in screaming at me and demeaning me. In fact this Custom Border Patrol agent thought it was even necessary to scream at me when she thought I was walking to fast too towards the passport control desk. At when I turned to look at her face her nostril were flared and she was smirking from ear to ear. Quite odd indeed.

Is that also an aspect of the “War on Terror”? And what was the substantive value of the racial/ethnic editorializing by CBP Agent and her hostile demeanor?I was watched while I collected my bags by the young female CBP agent and the man in a suit. Then I was walked by the volatile/violent young, female CBP agent and another female Custom Border Patrol  agent. I was taken to an open area where my luggage was searched by the older (of the two) female CBP agent while the younger female CBP agent continued to scream at me, call me a liar and tell me that I was making up stories.

The "gentleman" in a suit watched this freak show in abuse and took notes, while a black male CBP agent stood by and observed. I think this man’s role was to somehow “legitimize” this travesty simply because he was there and black, as he said nothing and did not “actively” participate in this civil rights carnage. 

Another interesting side is that the two men watched as the women, particularly 'Ms. Volatility' ripped me apart for 30 minutes. Every-time I looked away from the women I noticed the two men just staring at the mundane items (like business papers and programs from a museum and art gallery) taken out of my luggage.

The two men never directly made eye contact with me. I suppose the way they mollified their guilt and shame for watching me getting “mauled” was to not connect with me as a human being. It worked because the ladies continued in a frenzy that was akin to two lionesses in a hunting frenzy.

I am very curious what they could have possibly gleamed from the exercise in violation of my human rights. What kind of people could participate in and/or watch something like this for 30 minutes? Oh and the reason my detention finally stopped was that I was trembling and near tears. And what did they learn, nothing, as what I told them was information readily at the hands of the USA government. And in my passport file – and that would be the same passport file that the young, female, ISIS agent neglected to read. Is America safer as a result of what they did to me (and what I hear they are doing to countless others)?

I personally think the directive being employed by CBP is a “fast food” approach to national security. And stopping people of color simply because their genetic ancestry is not from Europe or they are "Muslim looking” people or lone women travelers are really way too simplistic criteria to have an effective impact on reducing the legitimate threat to America. I mean if I a middle-aged, accountant can pick out who will be stopped by CBP then something is clearly wrong.

Now the reality is that stopping (and making a great show of it) hijab wearing women, bearded men and “darkies” of all persuasions might make some people feel safe in and out of CBP but what does it accomplish? Really if one is aiming to do harm to America then to lessen the likely-hood of being stopped by CBP most people should now know you shouldn’t “look” Muslim and you might want to steer clear of the tanning salon or the sun and if you are a lone traveler than hook-up with someone if only to have a traveling companion. I know (and hope) the “random” selection of international travelers for secondary interviews might be more complex than that, but with CBP agents making racially inappropriate comments one wonders?

In closing the Ummah (the world wide Muslim community) is comprised of over a billion people. We rein from a plethora of countries, cultures, ethnics groups and ideologies. For CBP to be instructed to use a black and white paradigm (which is my belief) when the world is filled with shades of grey...is I think less than productive. Really there have always been Black, American, Muslim, Vegan, Anglophile, Middle-Aged, Feminists with Catholic leanings in the Ummah...It is you who have now only just realized that.

PS – To my friend “D” may I always have the courage that you show in your life...I am going to need that courage to deal with the powers who decide what is what.

Wassalaam,

Debra V. Wilson