Airport Security and Racism

By Anonymous

Feeling excited as child that I’m going on holiday, and escaping the everyday stress of life. I waited at the gate feeling happy before it opens. When finally the gate opened, and the people with the business seats were let on first. I then hear mine and someone else’s name being called to go to another gate. I was puzzled by this, I was unsure if I was waiting at the right gate in the first place, as this had happened to me once before, many years ago while aboard, and I was waiting at the wrong gate.

I arrived to where I was asked to go, and noticed that other person and I were both non-white, and both had foreign names. I had a negative feeling that this may not be a positive experience. A man asked us both security questions, such as: -
“What’s the purpose of you visiting the United States?”

“Do you have any friends, family or know anyone there?”
“Where will you be staying?”
“How long will you be going for?”

They let the other person go back to his flight gate, while the security man took my passport and asked me to stay put. He came back 5 to 10 minutes later and said “It’s okay, we just need to do some checks,” and he let me go to my flight gate. My feeling was “thank God for that,” but at the same time I had this feeling that they done this because I had a Muslim name, and also I wasn’t white. I went through to the gate, but was asked to wait through another isle, while I watched other British passport holders who were white, being let onto the plane. I was waiting my turn in the isle to be searched, because I noticed all the people being searched were all non-white, and look Asian or Middle-Eastern in appearance. When it was my turn to be searched, the man didn’t search or asked me any questions, he just told me “We don’t have time to do a search as the plane will leave shortly,” and he let me go onto the plane.

The Journey was a tiring one, travelling 8 ½ hours sitting down, but occasionally getting out to go to the toilet. When I finally arrived to my holiday destination in America, and feeling excited like a big kid, I got off with the other passengers, when I saw two security guards waiting, who then asked me to come with them, and they asked me similar question while back at Manchester. Again I noticed the other British passengers who were white weren’t being stopped by security, and being let through to their destination. I on the other hand was taken to collect my baggage while they held my passport, and then taken to the boarder Control, where they took my finger prints and my picture, and again asked similar questions by other security guards, while looking at my passport, searching my bags by empting it, and then putting all the stuff back in and asking me how much money do I have on me. Then they were looking at my medication, as I have diabetes and epilepsy, and my letter from my GP.

After this I was sitting in the waiting room, with other people who had been checked, or about to be checked. I noticed that everyone in the waiting room all non-white, except three people who were white, and had come from France, German, and Holland. My instinct told me they are prejudging everyone. I wasn’t sure about they may prejudge the French person, but Dutch person I had a feeling they may be judging him due to cannabis being legal in Holland, and with the German person, because Germany was the enemy during the second world war, as one of the questions for the ESTA visa asks if you had been a spy against the allies’ between 1939-45. Some were let to go to their destination, while I was still sitting in the waiting room for ages unsure of what will happen next. When finally I was taken to a room by another security, where she told me that if I do not wish to answer any questions, I don’t have to answer them, but I went ahead to answer them, as I felt I have nothing to hide. The questions that were asked were again the same questions to the ones that the other security guards asked before, only this time it was being typed on the computer and one of the other questions was what’s my occupation, which I said I’m currently not working.

When the interview was over I was then told, “you do not have sufficient funds to support yourself and you do not appear to be a bona fide visitor, but intending immigrant under section 212 (a) (7) (A) (I).”

With my holiday ruined and have to flight back home on the next available flight, after saving up for a year, and not getting a refund back, had upset me. The security analyses of not having sufficient funds and that appear to be intending for immigration, I totally disagree with, because from my experience I spent a week in London, which is much more expensive then the US and I survived with living on £200, and I was going to be in the US for a week and I had just under£800 spending money. Also regarding immigration, I would never dream of living in America, because with my own health I wouldn’t survive there, and I am much better off in the UK as we have an NHS, while America’s health care is private, which I’m very anti-private health care. Now I was told I was allowed to come back, but not with and ESTA pr visa waiver like the other British holiday makers, but have to get a full visa, meaning I have to go to the American embassy in London, before I could come back.

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