On Immigration

Disclaimer: this is all personal opinion and experience. I have not read up on immigration laws or on opinions of those "in the know" nor done research. I am just sharing.


Now that the green card is officially in hand, I feel a bit more freedom to voice some thoughts, frustrations, concerns, etc. My perspective on US immigration has changed significantly since I married a non-US citizen. Our last trip out of the country was the icing on the cake to drive my irritation at the way that some people are treated. My husband is a good, kind, honest, and trustworthy man. Immigration at an airport doesn't convey their feelings of trust to him or take into much consideration his integrity, history, or good looks.

When we came through LAX airport in Los Angeles a month ago we were asked to go back into the immigration offices after 10+ minutes of the immigration officer hemming and hawing. For the next two hours we waited and my husband was questioned off and on. The officers were respectful to him because he had no reason to be there, but it was a waste of time and, even with the respect, felt a little bit despicable. The inconvenience of this situation cost us our plane flight home. Once we were finally stamped as approved to make it through immigration we sprinted ruthlessly through the airport lines, swerving in and out of the throngs of travelers and workers with our luggage cart, and took some risks in how close we came to their heels. We made it to our ticketing counter and they told us we had missed the cut off by 10 minutes to board our flight. So, we had to take another flight home, call our ride, and wait around on stand-by to see if we just might be able to make it on the next flight to Seattle. Luckily, we ended up on that flight and were just a few hours later than planned rather than days later, but it was an unneccesary ordeal.

Nevertheless, I will say I learned from that experience. My husband is not a shifty foreigner or a dishonest man, but there were definitely people of that sort in that location of the airport. We waited in a waiting room where we couldn't keep our suitcases and eavesdropped on others' sob stories (or lies depending on the person) they told the officers to see if they could make it into the country. Each story we heard varied in sketchiness and seeming validity, but every person made it through and wasn't sent back. It's probably more hassle for them to return someone to their homeland than it is to question them, put a little fear in their eyes, and send them on their way until next time. A few stories were shocking to me and I felt uneasy and a little angered that these people were allowed back into our countries borders so easily. But, it was an unforgettable time in which I was reminded that many things are corrupt in this earth that we have little control over and that I am thankful my guy is a green card carrying many now.