My last post got me to thinking about good old INS. I had one unpleasant experience with them, I won’t go into details but lets just say I paid for a travel visa which they never gave me, and they never give money back, it is simply chalked up to a ‘processing fee’. Eventually I did get a travel visa but that was part of a whole other process.
I like INS they are a major player in keeping this country as safe as it is from countries that really don’t like the USA. obviously I don’t know the inner workings but from what I’ve learned and observed they have incredibly difficult jobs with limited resources (although they do wield a ridiculous amount of power) they seem to do their jobs well and have always been polite and courteous to me.
As in my last post about INS, this post is not really about INS and it’s not about Sequoia, it’s not even about animals. It’s about stupid people.
To get the full impact I have to guide you through some of the steps involved with going to an INS services building. You just don’t ‘show up’ You go online with your issue and fill out the proper forms you find out exactly what documentation you will be needing and you hit send. Then you wait, and when you are done waiting you wait a little more. Eventually, in the mail you will get a letter telling you exactly when and where your appointment is and a reminder of what documents you will need and how much it is all going to cost.
For those of you going through this, or may be going through this in the future here is a tip. Make an INS file and keep up with it, and bring it every time you go to INS, even though you may have submitted everything, and they acknowledge that they have it, if you get there and they don’t have it you are screwed. Doesn’t matter why or who, simple fact is if for any reason it’s not in the file it is your problem not theirs.
If you show up at the INS office without the appointment letter you are not getting in the front door. I’ve been there in the cold and they don’t care. You wait in a line outside and they walk down the line and ask to see id and the letter. They let a few people at a time into the front lobby where you empty your pockets take off your jacket and head through the scanners. No backpacks, strollers, food nothing extra.
Once inside you hand your letter to the check in person and they hand you a number and point you to the chairs where all the other cattle sit. And sit is what you do. So you may have number 17 and they call 15, alright two away you can already smell home but surprise the next number called is 125. WTF? so you go to the little window woman and before you even open your mouth she says,
“Was your number called”
“No but…”
“Please sit in the chairs till your number is called”
“But they called number 15 and….”
“Please Sir, sit down and wait until your number is called”
“but…”
“Sir, we are doing everything we can to move this along, now please sit down and wait for your number to be called”
“Bu…”
“Sir!” At this time one usually notices at least one the two officer’s easing over to you from opposite directions with their gun hand resting on the butt of their pistol. Most people manage to sit down without any further problems, most people.
The thing is, while they give out the numbers sequentially in order of arrival, each number is then registered with the department you need to see. So you may have number 17 you don’t know which department the other numbers are for. The guy holding 15 may be in for green card renewal, but lets say the 17th guy through the door is in for a travel visa and the 125th person through the door is also in for a green card renewal. Well they may be done with 15 so that department has a space open now so 125 gets called before 17. INS doesn’t tell you this, but it doesn’t take long to figure out and when you do its clear as mud.
Keep in mind if an INS agent thinks for any reason that you are a threat of any kind they can make your life miserable, they can make it so deportation is the least of your problems.
So there I sat counting the ceiling tiles when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a gentleman stand up and walk towards the counter, but no number had been called, collective gasp! We watched as he made his way to the check in clerk. unfortunately I have to say this was after 9/11 and this gentleman happen to be from the middle east, complete with turban. I couldn’t hear what he was saying but I have a pretty good idea as the check in woman said, ‘Sir, please take your seat” he didn’t, instead he started to argue, again I heard the check in woman “Sir take a seat and wait for your number to be called” Again this guy argued, clearly he was not about to sit down. I don’t know if he saw the agents approaching, I don’t know if he saw two more coming through the door with their fingers wrapped around their holstered pistols. What I do know is that in less than a minute he was quietly being ushered through some heavy doors and nobody involved looked very happy.
So I ask, how stupid do you really need to be?
PanningForGold 
Really? The government is not helpful and well organized and friendly? Shocking….!
Is the same here in the great white north, plus we specialize in federal cabinet ministers who have meltdowns at airports and verbally abuse airline staff – makes one so proud of the country!
I like to think that it’s not this way in Canada. Len and I applied for and received Nexus cards. This is a card that allows you, as a “trusted traveler” to cross borders by car in an express lane and enter through select airports by a 21st century retina scanning machine, not even talking to a border official.
Both Canada and the USA are involved in the process of granting you the card. The first application goes to Home Security in the US, some 8 weeks later it comes back and you must go in for two interviews, one with Canadian border officials where they scan your retina and one with US border officials. We opted to do this at Vancouver Airport where the two offices are across the hall from one another.
The experience could not have been more different. On the Canadian side, the staff were courteous, informative, helpful and yes, even friendly. We were there at the appointed time and they took us in within minutes. That interview, including the retina scan and instruction took about 20 minutes. Then we crossed over to the US side.
We were greeted with a looooooooong line up of frustrated people awaiting the interview, although they had all been carefully scheduled in 15 minute blocks, they were hours behind. We waited for well over an hour, people actually got fed up and left giving up altogether. Finally they took us in one at a time and sat us in front of a computer screen and peppered us with questions as they scanned data base after data base trying to find a reason to deny us the Nexus card. Questions like, “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” As if you’d happily admit to this knowing it would exclude you.
They were hostile, unfriendly, officious and threatening to the point where you think, what the hell – do I really ever want to cross in the US ever again?
On a positive note however, we have noticed a change in attitude with the US border guards under the Obama administration. They seem slightly more welcoming now, maybe I’m just imagining it.
Jim