This pissed me off and hit me personally. I already have my views that we need to fix what is happening in the US with immigration and deportation with Aliens, illegal or not, who live and work in the us and have families here and/or who have been her for years if not decades. Been part of communities and lives. This is just wrong and we need to fix it.
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The crime of fatherhood
by TotalBiscuit
http://www.wcradio.com
I've had some time to think and rest, so I'm going to put my thoughts down in writing now.
As some of you are aware, I am not at Blizzcon. Indeed, I am not even in the United States. Something dreadful happened, and I'd like to make sure you know the state of play.
Since June last year, I have been entering and leaving the US under their Visa Waiver program. The idea is that citizens of certain, trusted countries can enter the US without a visa, as long as they comply with certain rules and regs. Those rules and regs are not particularly well documented, but the basic gist of it is 'don't work, don't commit crime, leave before the 90 days is up'. In April, we started our application for the K3 spousal visa, which grants permanent residence. We heard nothing back, indeed from what we've been able to determine, the application hasn't even started. It may not have reached them, it may indeed have been rejected out of hand because there was a vague rule 'somewhere' that says you can't apply while the alien (that's me) is in the United States. One way or the other though, it didn't get processed.
As of October 8th, I fly back from Heathrow to LAX, to enter the US for the purpose of Blizzcon, and then to go and stay with Gen (my wife) until hopefully, the K3 had made some progress. If not, it was my intention to leave before those 90 days were up, go back home, get some work in England and apply for the B2, a stop-gap measure for visitors, which allows you to change status while on it. The Visa waiver program is becoming application-only in January anyway, so I didn't anticipate this would be an issue. I was wrong.
I was detained at LAX because I was 'inadmissable for entry'. Despite my every effort to be honest and truthful, and explain my situation at home, they would not listen (they being Homeland security). I explained to them that I was looking after our 5 year old son. I explained to them that Gen's work was trying to force her to work nights and if that happened, someone would have to be at home to look after Orion. I explained to them that we had been acting in good faith, had received advice from 2 seperate, authoratative sources (homeland security and the USCIS) that it would be ok for me to enter under Visa waiver on this occassion. I explained to them that to the best of our knowledge, the K3 application had been submitted in April. I explained to them that I was attending a convention on invitation. I explained to them that I had not been working, my wife had been supporting the family, and that were I not there, and she was forced to work nights, she could lose her job.
They didn't care.
They seemed determined from the outset to treat me like a criminal, and so they did, accusing me to my face of lying, claiming I had entered the US at one point through Mexico (this never happened) and all manner of other ridiculous things. I was judged 'inadmissable' to the United States and kept in custody to be deported the following day. For most of the time, I was kept in a secure room in their office without access to my luggage or a phone. I was then taken in an armoured van to a detention center, had all my personal effects taken away, including my shoe-laces of all things, and put in a cold cell, consisting of little more than a cold metal bench and a bank of very bright lights. I was supposed to 'sleep' there, but that didn't happen, how could it? It was freezing cold and unbearably bright. There was no indication of time anywhere, it was 9 hours of haze.. I don't remember much from then. When I was removed from the cell I was taken back to another armoured van, hands behind my back and driven back to the airport where I was escorted under armed guard, back to the Homeland security office. It was at this point that I demanded to speak to the British Consulat, who had been working to resolve the situation. I was able to speak to my parents, and to a Consulsar officer for advice, but at 18:00 PST that day, was removed from the United States, along with the majority of the Blizzcon equipment that I had been transporting with me. I tried to leave the suitcase for pickup, they refused to help me. By the time I got on the plane I had not slept in over 48 hours.
So riddle me this, why is it that in a country where 100s of illegal immigrants come in every day, work, claim benefits, commit crimes, does the one guy who's trying to do it all above board, get shot down? What was my motivation for entering the States? To be a father to a child who needed one, and a husband to a wife who needed one. What was my crime? Apparently trying to do that in THEIR country. The US immigration system is obtuse, incomprehensible and broken. It gives conflicted advice at every turn, changes it's mind whenever it feels like it and invests complete executive power in small men with guns. Their supposed discretion for individual circumstances ends up being turned against those who tried to do things the right way, but were held up by ridiculous procedures and ill-documented laws and regulations. Speaking from a legal perspective, the immigration procedures are obtuse and filled with double-speak and vague definitions. It's nigh on impossible to know what you're supposed to do. 2 seperate sources told me it would be ok to enter the US, but it was not. What was I supposed to?
As a result of this, I was unable to attend Blizzcon and more importantly, unable to be with my wife and son. My trip to Blizzard studios and meet-ups with the devs, as well as the community summit I was going to attend and speak at at the Irvine studio, didn't happen. If there was a term I'd use for how I'm feeling, it's 'crushed'. The culmination of 3 and a half years of work shot down, and my family torn apart.
I need to step away from this for a while. At the end of Blizzcon, I will step down as station owner and show host until such a time as I feel comfortable taking up those duties again. I will not be producing any shows, or dealing with any managerial aspect of the station. I don't know when or if I'll decide to come back, I suppose that depends on how easy it is to mend a broken heart. In the meantime, I will see you guys on IRC and Vent if you have any questions.
Peace.
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