Democracy Land of the Free

[Gulliver]

In the mid 70’s I paid off in New Orleans after my 8 months tour of duty .My airline ticket back to London was for the next evening,but I asked my company ,via the Captain ,to let me stay In New Orleans for a further 4 days-I had met a nice girl there on previous trips and wanted to spend more time (naturally) with her when I paid off!
Our agent 's runner had to accompany me to the Immigration Office at New Orleans Airport to vouch for me and see if it could be arranged.There they kept me waiting 3 hours before they dealt with me-despite me seeing no other persons there occupying their time.
Then I was grilled for another hour,as if I was a criminal,asking me the reasons why I wanted a few days vacation,who this girl was,where was she living,then I kid you not,telling me I was a lowly seaman-and they were sick and tired of seamen deserting their ships and disappearing into their wonderful ‘Oo-nited States’.
Another hour later,and feeling rather upset and disconsolate I had to plead my case in front of a Chief Immigration Officer(who himself,naturally was Hispanic and looked like a border-crossing refugee). I wanted to say to him “Forget it,what makes you think I want to stay in your godawful country anyway ,you---- !-but I didn’t,that would be exactly what they would have liked me to do.
With a curt “Three days, only,and you will report here on such and such a time on the date of your flight-we’ll be watching you,mister”. He dismissed me with a flick of his hand,rather like flicking a bogie from his nose.
I got my 3 days in New Orleans,but I’m afraid any positive feelings about Anglo-American goodwill and co-operation died for me that day. I still feel the same way,and have never been back to the States.It affected me that much.

I understand why border security should be super-efficient and tight,but there is no need for Americans to alienate ,treat with contempt,and treat like criminals any legitimate foreign nationals whilst on their soil.It creates a very bad impression indeed to visitors.
I believe , reading about it ,that things haven’t changed for the better either during the last 30 years regarding contemptuous treatment by Immigration staff .

Gulliver

[Keith Tindell]

I fel the same regards the states, myself and wife took a round the world flight 2 years ago,l had to keep going in one direction for the flights and stops, we avoided the states, and went via South Africa. I have posted before, and sorry if i offend, the only good thing we get from The states is the gulf stream KT

[John Callon]

About five years ago I was crossing the border from Vancouver going to Seattle. When it came to Homeland Security check myself and another guy queued up with everybody else. When it was my turn to present myself I was beckoned to the immigration desk in that friendly and resssuring way that the Americans do best. The officer took my passport and started reading it as if he had never seen one before and then said that this was the first time he had ever met anybody who had been born in Liverpool and that I must have been around when the Beatles and Merseybeat where the big thing. At this point I was not sure as to whether these were trick questions as I seem to remember McCartney getting kicked out of someplace for a drugs offence and John Lennon wasnt exactly high on the FBI's Christmas Card List. He then asked me did I ever see the Beatles to which I replied yes once on the Cavern but it was before they were famous and Cillas Black was cloakroom girl. By this time he was falling all over the place with excitement and then wanted to know did I ever meet them. I replied yes once but decided to milk it for all it was worth. By this time he was calling me John and I had made such an unholy mess of the landing card in answering all his stupid questions. He told me not to worry about the card he would sort all that out for me, this was as I was telling him I knew Brian Epstein very well and attended his funeral after his untimely demise. I then went onto tell him a whole load of rubbish about Gerry Marsden and casually dropped in a few other names. All this was related in a broad Scouse accent by the way, which was about the only thing that was true as that is the way I speak.
Regards John.

[Ivan Cloherty]

. I then went onto tell him a whole load of rubbish about Gerry Marsden and casually dropped in a few other names. All this was related in a broad Scouse accent by the way, which was about the only thing that was true as that is the way I speak.
Regards John.

Well wacker you'll never go to heaven now!

[John Callon]

I think that was decided a long time ago Ivan.
Rgds
John

[j.sabourn]

Some of the answers bear a strong resemblance to Oz at the present date and time. We have a TV program here praising the border security guardians spending hours questioning backpackers and such types about their working in this country illegally, and questioning whether they have sufficient money etc etc. At the same time as this interview was taking to produce another 5 boatloads of illegal immigrants are being landed in Australia. Sheer propaganda to my mind the making of such documentarys. Cheers John Sabourn

[j.sabourn]

Ref. post 10. Being lined up on deck. I heard a similar story from a seaman who was in China during Maos time. They were lined up on deck and had to undergo a short arm inspection. Believe there was a period where British crews refused to go to China. I was in Shanghai after Maos death, think his widow was in jail, and the red guards were not so much in prominence. I was however taken ashore to the theatre and a visit to one of their communes and welcomed by a bunch of children as well as most of the crew were. I was however taken to one side and received a pep talk about working the crew too hard and had to give them more time off. As I was mate, think one of the sailors had set me up for this, never found out who. We all received the little red book in English. On departing Shanghai all hands had to congregate in one room and be counted. They must have thought everyone was going to jump ship. They also had guards on board watching the pilot, as well as others watching the guards. Wondered at the time who finally did the last count. Looking at China today it has certainly gone through a transformation. Cheers John Sabourn

[happy daze john in oz]

Talk of USA and others, I ahd a similar exoerience a few years ago at Heathrow. Immigration looked at my Australian passport and noticed my place of birth as Dulwich. We have a Dulwich here in Sydney but mine was in London. He questioned me about this sayinh he knew of the one in Oz. then he asked me where I would be staying, told him with my brother in law and gave the address. Then made the fatal mistake of saying he was meeting me at the airport and had a forward ticket for me to travel to Dublin in a couple of hours time.
I was taken out of the queue to a side room and interviewed by some young rat bag, not a white English I might add, who made it clear he had no liking for any one from overseas. In the end a call was put out over the PA for my Brother inlaw to come forward. He did so with my wife alongside. She had got through with no problem and she was born in Ireland. After checking my forward ticket and checking my Brother in laws credentials I was let go. Kind of put me off going there agian.

[John Arton]

We used to run to Jacksonsville and there was a particularly nasty immigration officer there who refused to do a thing until he was presented with a case of Guiness and had drunk half of its contents. He would then open hisa Blue Book (listing all banned people) and one by one call us forward for inspection. He never looked up to check face against passport, just grunted out the standard question and then grudgingly issued you with your Aliens landing pass.
On one trip there was almost a riot as the Electrician had his wife with him and though English she had got her American visa in Rotterdam as it was a last minute thing her joining hubby for the trip. The immigration officer really started grilling her in a very rude manner and asked if she was English why was her visa issued in Rotterdam. By this time she was almost in tears at his attitude towards her, The final straw came when he kept going onto her about the reason for her visa been issued in Rotterdam and he then came out with the following "He was'nt shure she was a bona fida wife, she could be any hooker that the electrician had picked up for a bit of company on the trip, so he was not going to give her a shore pass", que a near riot in the saloon with the rest of us saying if there are any more bertsteds like him ashore then none of us want to go ashoreand the Captain making an official complaint to the head immigration officer (no apology) and our shore passes been revoked.
Strangely enough wea had spanish crew at the time (these had not been involved in our fracas) and he always used to refuse a number of them landing passes saying that he knew which ones would jump ship just by looking at them. On this particular call he refused passes for about three of our sailors, giving the rest of them their landing pass. Out of those who he issued with passes around 50% of them jumped ships and at least two of them were back in mainland Spain before we got to the Panama Canal about 6 days later as the remaining spaniards received telegrams from their ex. shipmates.
New Orleans was another bad place for immigration Officers. Went there on a big OBO once and the immigration officers (fat guys) refused to come up the gangway saying it was too steep (we were anchored mid stream waiting to load grain). We tried everything to accomodate them, saying we would hire a barge with aircon cabin and moor it at the bottom of the gangway, even down to flying them on board by helicopter but to no avail. No immigration clearance meant to clearance by custom, USDA inspectors etc. Eventually we were taking ashore in small groups under armed guard to an local immigration office where we were interviewed and given our passes.
Visiting the U.S. as a tourist (was on holiday in Flrida on 9/11) I have found Florida immigrtaion o.k. but N.Y at Kennedy is still a nightmare.
rgds
JA

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ref. post 10. Being lined up on deck. I heard a similar story from a seaman who was in China during Maos time. They were lined up on deck and had to undergo a short arm inspection. . Cheers John Sabourn

Did that China run for nearly 2 years (50's) They made all crew stand on deck for a couple of hours upon arrival and departure whilst they searched the ship, they seemed to enjoy keeping us on deck longer when the temperatures were well in the minus centigrade. The stewards probably suffered most as they never carried heavy weather gear, but we loaned them what we could, because you didn't get much notice of these roll calls, just guards going around the vessel banging on doors with rifle butts and ushering you out on deck. There is so much more but have already covered it on another post way back in time