Racial profiling for Brish Asians at US airports

steeljack · 02-05-2007, 17:31

interesting article in todays New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/wo...02britain.html

At the present time British passport holders can enter the US without an entry visa , but the guys at homeland security are concerned about the possibility of Islamic terrorists entering the US and have come to the conclusion that these folks need to be filtered out before they enter the US. It seems British citizens who happen to be of Pakistani descent are to be singled out for special screening.
What seems a bit "odd" is that the President is continally telling us that the Govt. of Pakistan is our number one friend in that part of the world and we are giving them billions of dollars in aid .

your thoughts on the article ....

(without the usual American bashing ..please

)

mani · 02-05-2007, 17:45

And this is why i'll never be going to NY again...

dont want to spend that cash saving up only to be told sorry your surname is too terroristy

bring on canada!!

its a shame really cuz there 's so many more places i'd love to go

i was really up for takin my family over to disney world and i would've loved to have gone on a month long fly drive there

Eric · 02-05-2007, 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

interesting article in todays New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/wo...02britain.html

At the present time British passport holders can enter the US without an entry visa , but the guys at homeland security are concerned about the possibility of Islamic terrorists entering the US and have come to the conclusion that these folks need to be filtered out before they enter the US. It seems British citizens who happen to be of Pakistani descent are to be singled out for special screening.
What seems a bit "odd" is that the President is continally telling us that the Govt. of Pakistan is our number one friend in that part of the world and we are giving them billions of dollars in aid .

your thoughts on the article ....

(without the usual American bashing ..please

)

Does saying that GWB is "a bit 'odd'" count as America bashing? I don't think so ... he's only one out of about 300 million. If any Brits of Asian descent wish to visit Canada, our doors and our airports are open to you and the welcome mat is out.

By the way, it doesn't snow that often in summer

steeljack · 02-05-2007, 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Does saying that GWB is "a bit 'odd'" count as America bashing? I don't think so ... he's only one out of about 300 million. If any Brits of Asian descent wish to visit Canada, our doors and our airports are open to you and the welcome mat is out.

By the way, it doesn't snow that often in summer

LOL , I was trying to point out the hypocrisy of this policy

note to Mani , Canada is a great place to visit , tho not really sure I would reccomend a fly/drive holiday if you have young children, the place is just too big , hundreds of miles between some places with nothing to look at,unless you like either trees and praries, just avoid the Dufferin Hotel in Vancouver, and make sure you dont have American plates on your car (unless you want it vandalised, Hertz in Seattle wont rent you one if you say you are planing on taking it into Canada )

mani · 02-05-2007, 18:39

*L* i know canada is wicked - i went to toronto and vancouver

i was hopin to go to the canadian gp a few yrs back too..

lancsdave · 02-05-2007, 18:58

There's been a few stories of British people with Pakistan heritage not being allowed entry for the past couple of years. I guess they have now made it official ?

mani · 02-05-2007, 19:03

hmmmm

i remember some guy had booked a two week holiday at disney land for him and his family - a MAJOR outlay of cash no doubt - got to america no probs - the immigration stopped him and because his name was abdul something or another they didnt let him enter. so his family not wanting to lose all that money for nothign had to carry on and he had to fly back next day...

i go pakistan quite regulary as my family have a villa there so its a shame not to use it etc... but i'm sure the yanks lookin at that will be like hmmmm

Eric · 02-05-2007, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

LOL , I was trying to point out the hypocrisy of this policy

note to Mani , Canada is a great place to visit , tho not really sure I would reccomend a fly/drive holiday if you have young children, the place is just too big , hundreds of miles between some places with nothing to look at,unless you like either trees and praries, just avoid the Dufferin Hotel in Vancouver, and make sure you dont have American plates on your car (unless you want it vandalised, Hertz in Seattle wont rent you one if you say you are planing on taking it into Canada )

I agree that certain places in Vancouver one would try to avoid, but "nothing to look at"! In an unofficial poll many Canadians voted the Prairie landscape as one of the seven wonders of Canada, along with the Rockies, Cape Breton, the Gaspe, etc. And the Canadian shield, tho' extensive if you are driving the Trans Canada Highway, is beautiful ... pre-Cambrian rock, studded with lakes (full of potable water once you get out of Southern Ontario). And the North ... good if you are healthy and crave solitude and the great, great outdoors. Literally breathtaking. Nowhere else like it on the planet. Just don't bug the bears, or try to play with the cubs if mamma is around.

WillowTheWhisp · 02-05-2007, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by mani

hmmmm

i remember some guy had booked a two week holiday at disney land for him and his family - a MAJOR outlay of cash no doubt - got to america no probs - the immigration stopped him and because his name was abdul something or another they didnt let him enter. so his family not wanting to lose all that money for nothign had to carry on and he had to fly back next day...

i go pakistan quite regulary as my family have a villa there so its a shame not to use it etc... but i'm sure the yanks lookin at that will be like hmmmm

Did he get a refund?

I remember back when we had all the IRA goings on I used to travel to Ireland quite a lot and I got some funny looks comng back through customs. They used to analyse the contents of my luggage too. The bit which really amused me was the questonnaire - occupation? purpose of visit? Like I'm going to put 'terrorist', 'collection of bomb'

steeljack · 02-05-2007, 23:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

I agree that certain places in Vancouver one would try to avoid, but "nothing to look at"! In an unofficial poll many Canadians voted the Prairie landscape as one of the seven wonders of Canada, along with the Rockies, Cape Breton, the Gaspe, etc. And the Canadian shield, tho' extensive if you are driving the Trans Canada Highway, is beautiful ... pre-Cambrian rock, studded with lakes (full of potable water once you get out of Southern Ontario). And the North ... good if you are healthy and crave solitude and the great, great outdoors. Literally breathtaking. Nowhere else like it on the planet. Just don't bug the bears, or try to play with the cubs if mamma is around.

apologies, No way was I 'knocking' Canada, the point I was trying to make to Mani was that I thought young children would be bored out of their heads sitting in a car driving 8 or 10 hours across the prairie , lets be honest its a bit more than a daytrip to Blackpool driving from the Niagra Falls to the Rockies

lancsdave · 02-05-2007, 23:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by mani

hmmmm

i remember some guy had booked a two week holiday at disney land for him and his family - a MAJOR outlay of cash no doubt - got to america no probs - the immigration stopped him and because his name was abdul something or another they didnt let him enter. so his family not wanting to lose all that money for nothign had to carry on and he had to fly back next day...

i go pakistan quite regulary as my family have a villa there so its a shame not to use it etc... but i'm sure the yanks lookin at that will be like hmmmm

Took me a while but I did find the story

http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/ne...ney_dream.html

cashman · 02-05-2007, 23:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

Took me a while but I did find the story

http://www.stockportexpress.co.uk/ne...ney_dream.html

just read it dave, that is bloody disgraceful,and brings shame on the usa, we had much grief at miami airport 18 months ago, we decided then never to return and we love the country and people, but noway will we suffer immigration again.

WillowTheWhisp · 02-05-2007, 23:45

That's absolutely appalling treatment. Good for his MP for taking up the case.

garinda · 03-05-2007, 00:22

Immigration officals in the U.S. have always been a nightmare, even with a fair skin and an Anglo-Saxon name, so I do have every sympathy with Brits with a different heritage trying to get in.

All British passport holders, regardless of colour or creed, should be met with the same security requirements.

So much for our 'special relationship'.

Eric · 03-05-2007, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

apologies, No way was I 'knocking' Canada, the point I was trying to make to Mani was that I thought young children would be bored out of their heads sitting in a car driving 8 or 10 hours across the prairie , lets be honest its a bit more than a daytrip to Blackpool driving from the Niagra Falls to the Rockies

Are we there yet?