Immigration Protests at the All Star Game

Jon Stewart again offered some humor on the humorless situation in Arizona in his report titled  The Naturalized.  Last year Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that made it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in the state.  The law is being challenged in federal court.  On Tuesday critics of the polarizing immigration law in Arizona protested in triple-digit heat outside Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in downtown Phoenix, drawing sideways glances from fans who were more interested in getting to the game. The protests were not as big as predicted.   Last year after SB1070 initially passed, activists called for baseball to move the All-Star game from Arizona. Commissioner Bud Selig declined and said it was a political issue, prompting critics to ask players, coaches and fans to boycott the game as part of a wider call for companies to stop doing business with Arizona. Although at the time several baseball players spoke out against the law and said they might skip the All-Star game if picked, the protests largely fizzled out and there was no indication Tuesday that any players or coaches wouldn’t play because of the law.

Two separate pro-immigrant groups protested outside of Chase Field before the game, with one quietly passing out white ribbons that symbolized peace and unity and the other loudly chanting in bullhorns and marching in circles with signs that read “Boycott hate” and “Stand with us.”

Behind the Scenes at the US Border at San Francisco International Airport

On Monday, I met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and toured the airport screening process for those entering the United States which included deferred inspection, border checkpoints as well as holding areas for those who were denied entry to the United States.  My tour guide took the time to explain his viewpoints on some nebulous areas of the law, including determining when a permanent resident had “abandoned” his or her US residence by remaining outside the United States for too long (another discussion entirely, but suffice it to say, you’re best served to limit your absences to less than six months).

 The most important thing I learned from my visit is that courtesy will get you a long way with these officers.  Although they are quick to point out that entrants have no right to counsel at the border, they also agreed that if you are courteous, and in secondary inspection proving your admissibility, they will contact your attorney for more information in some circumstances.  Courtesy + attorney involvement = admission to the US.

 Of some limited comfort, the officers are required to process an entire flight within 59 minutes.  This does not include time spent in secondary inspection for those who are detained, but at least our government is setting SOME goals for expeditious processing for foreign nationals (and US citizens when they enter the country).  Of special note, there are no special provisions for those with connecting flights, so keep that in mind when connecting through San Francisco to other destinations.