Welcome to the USA?
“Please don’t excite the dawgs or they’ll pee.”
If US Immigration wanted to make people smile, they could have adopted my highschool buddy Kyle’s front door greeting (in full slow Arkansas drawl). First impressions are lasting (just ask Head ‘n Shoulders dandruff shampoo), and the US could choose to make a welcoming, “you’ve come to a good place” and even “we’re happy to see you” impression.
That’s not a choice I’ve ever seen them make, except one susprisingly friendly lady in Atlanta. When entering the mighty U.S. of A, the impression they have always strived to make is not one of welcome, but of power and suspicion. “You are darned lucky if we stoop to let you into this greatest country in the world, but first we’re going to make sure you know we have the power and we’ll be watching you.”
Even as a friendly (though admittedly long-haired) Canadian neighbour, I have been questioned extensively, pulled into the back office for interrogation at least 3 times, denied entry, and even deported. But when I naturalized and became a dual citizen a few years ago, suddenly the border officials made it easy. Not friendly, but not suspicious - I now had the legal right to expect to enter “my” country without undue scrutiny.
But under the Trump regime, all bets are off. German tourists with return tickets and sufficient cash are strip-searched and deported for no reason. Legal residents are deported without due process, and not repatriated even when courts determined they were removed illegally. Even American citizens are sometimes being questioned at the border about their political beliefs, and having their personal phone and computer records reviewed.
Hyper-Preparation, Even With A Passport
What irony that, after entering 15 foreign countries in the last 9 months, a country where I hold a passport is the only one that scares me. We prepare like we’re going on a spy mission. For over two hours we scrub my blog clean of anything smelling of anti-Trump wokeness. Delete social media apps from our phones and computers. Double-delete files. Clear browser histories. Rehearse our stories to keep them true but simple. Practice explaining why our 15 stamps are in our Canadian passports instead of US, and wonder if they’ll see and question our Cuba stay. Agree on contingency plans in case just one of us is detained or denied entry.
We ponder what to say if the immigration official asks about our political beliefs. Perhaps a defiant “None of your business - I have a passport and you have to let me in.” Or a provocative “I believe that the USA is founded upon and strengthened by the freedom to hold and express opposing viewpoints.” So many ways to respond, but is JFK Airport at 11pm after 21 hours of travel really the place to make a stand? We settle on a bland “We’ve been travelling and out of touch” - an evasive non-answer and non-truth that feels as heavy and convenient as holding a passport for a country I don’t feel as Home.
The US Citizens line at JFK moves quickly - a reassuring sign. Then as quickly as it begins, it’s over. The officer scans our passports, asks where we’ve been, then utters something I can’t remember but it means we’re being let in with no problem so I don't ask. He’s not friendly, but also not trying to be intimidating, just a man doing his job at 11pm. All those months of worrying and hours of Mission Impossible preparation turn out to be unnecessary - atleast not on this night, and not for these white middle-class old folk.
But the point isn’t the ultimate ease of entry - that was supposed to be guaranteed with our passports. The point is we shouldn’t have had to worry and prepare like we’re entering a war zone. We shouldn’t have had to wonder if we’ll be allowed into our own country simply because we don’t agree with the current government’s policies and (even more importantly) procedures. I shouldn't have to take down this blog post when I return in August.
Our first impression of this new USA isn't of overexcited dawgs and sheepishly-smiling owners; it’s of a nation that is no longer upholding the freedoms it was founded upon.
50 Lanes of Grey
After the raw mountain beauty of Kosovo, the sustainable livability of Denmark and the unshackled architecture and art of Albania, a rainy late-night drive to a New Jersey turnpike hotel just can’t compete. Nor can the next day’s rainy I-95 drive along the multi-laned Eastern Seaboard - down to Philadelphia to exchange our rental car for our beloved “Elvira” e-car, then back North as quickly as possible (2.5 days) to Canada’s warm embrace.
So, with genuine apologies to the coastal towns and Appalachians and most of Maine and many other wonderful places and people we do appreciate, here’s photos from our first days back in the “Land of the Free.” They form a stark contrast to the beauty and history I normally get to share (I’m resisting the urge to put the US photos side by side with European ones, but feel free to scroll back to earlier posts!)
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3 Comments
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Currently in...
Philadelphia
Heading to...
Costa Rica (Monteverde) till Christmas, then Thailand (Chiang Mai), Vietnam (Hoi Ann, Feb-Mar). Please share any sites, people or ideas by email.
welcome home,,,,,,,,,, dont know what to say,,,,,,oh shiiiiit?????????????? thank you for the entertainment and safe return Art
Wow, I totally understand your thoughts and feelings. Being an American citizen is embarrassing, and we have put Canadian stickers on our luggage and backpacks. We are even rethinking going to your Mom’s for Joan’s gathering even with all of the appropriate documents. I am never afraid in another country!! But as Jerry and I get older, and things are more complicated we just don’t have the energy to fight the battle that our dear leader has created for us. Best on your travels.
Carol Fuchs
Welcome home, safe and sound!?…
Thank you for sharing your adventures, observations and photos.
I nearly feel, I have been travelling with you.
Congratulations to your Graduate!
Best wishes for whatever you two are up to next.
Take good care, Heidi