Diary: US:Rethink on Immigration Diplomacy

After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the US has applied and enforced all possible powers and strategies it requires for better national security, which is appreciable in many ways. However, just to tightening the process during the visa and immigration clearance process at the point of entry does not mean proper manner and professional ways of the US officials. It is being highly criticized abroad. There are plenty of examples that the US has extended direct and indirect apologies for such wrong doings in many cases, but still not found any serious reforms to address the issues.

The process may also deliver in well professional and courteous manner as Americans have been enjoying and expecting in other country. The US official may examine the documents and conduct needy inquiry in well decent, disciplined and respectful manner. All most all developing countries have experienced that even the top brass VIPs were insulted during the visa obtaining and immigration clearance process. There are international laws and universally accepted diplomatic norms concerning the immigration and boarder security policy, which has been approved and accepted by almost all international communities and nations, though the US supremacy remains unknown to respect the accepted standards. It is always sad to hear that respective US spokes person always claims that the outsiders are detained or inhumanly interrogated, refused or delayed or bared from visa or clearance due to some security or technical reasons, which is remained often questionable among the world. The many human rights defenders and international communities have questioned to the US authority about their immigration and security clearance defective conduct. They have accused that the US visa and immigration clearance procedure are unacceptable. Poorly designed process and procedures are found assault over the human dignity and rights of the any sovereign people.

The US immigration process is like curfew for foreigners, besides it is well accepted that continuous "curfew" cannot be a perfect tool to control violent group or to protect life, liberty and property of the people. The curfew is a one of the most important tool for security. The curfew cannot be imposed for long term because one hand security is tightened and other hand public freedom is kept under strict captivity. Similarly, the US visa and immigration clearance procedure are seemed like a curfew. The US authority must transform the curfew into well professional regular process otherwise it will be tagged like ineffective curfew during the ethnic insurgency.

The currently imposed visa and immigration procedures are degrading the national and public prestige of the US. Such policies are also enhancing the anger against the US and it's Government. There are many examples the US visa and Immigration policy have turned many foreigners' people and experts to act against the interest of the US. Consequently the situation will come when no foreigner will remain to work in favor and interests of the US and finally the lonely US will be in the global enemies list for rest of the world. The supremacy is great and nice but lonely is painful, so the US must understand the horrible symptom and should be careful in time for potent vulnerability. The growing population of anti-American foreigners could be assistive to the terrorists' stagey whose principle goal is to create anti American environment across the world and to defeat the US from exiting prosperous position.

The US government should be very careful, the right person should not be denied, refused, insulted or delayed to enter United Sates otherwise the situation will be beyond the control and latter the US has to suffer with unlimited difficulties in security affairs. The experts raise a question to the immigration and boarder security officials that how someone can judge the profile of a people in so short time? Yes, it is possible that physical profile may be examined by submitted or presented documents but the psychological or mental status may not be judge until and unless the incriminated people speaks true during their inquiry, which is almost impossible that any people wants to be fail by his/her own causes. How can an official judge to a people in a minute or even in an hour? Researcher claims that security is mainly related to psychological affairs rather than physical perspective. Documents examination and short FAQ are not enough to judge a people about the affiliation of any anti-security activities. If yes, than why the terrorist people able to obtain visa successfully, besides such tighten and sophisticated visa interview. If the visa and immigration offers can judge properly than why they do not deny the visa application rather to conduct inhuman and insulting behavior during the immigration and security clearance at the port of entry in the US. Sometime, if there is strong proof against someone than there might be some exceptional cases that someone has to be pass through very strict and abnormal process in the port of entry but the US officials impose the same ways and procedure while any citizens from developing country comes duly to enter the US.

The developing country has many examples that the US embassy helps their citizens even they found abroad under the punishable acts. The US authority extends officially a series of protest in many countries when the US citizen has to face delay, hard time while clearing the security and visa even in normal manner. The US citizens enjoy high privileges in terms of visa and immigration clearance process in many countries. There are very rare incidents of visa refusal or refusal from the entry clearance of US passport holder. The US self considers that visa refusal and entry refusal of its citizens as national insult. It also considers as a big question over the national prestige and poor-ranking of its diplomacy. However they do often refusal in visa process and the process of entry clearance when they handle the case of the citizen of developing countries. It is not a matter whether the visa or entry seekers is minister, parliamentarians, celebrities or approved vip, they just see the passport book, if it is found issued by any developing government. The US authorities should keep in mind that what happens if the developing countries also ask for equal treatment or "Tit for Tat? Does the US accept and ready to face similar cost? Of course not, so the US authorities also need to think about such pitiable situation that how they are acting against the people of developing countries.

Naturally, general foreigners are neither in negative list nor have bad intention to distribute over the US security matter, so the people who have no any bad intention should not be terrorized in the name of any security provision and immigration diplomacy. Normal traveler should be handled normally. The US is a very prosperous, exemplary and richest country in the world. So, the US may develop a special tools, techniques and mechanism to control the activity and movement of the foreigners while they are living in the US. Specially, the Hong Kong, Singapore will be the good examples for immigration diplomacy. It is hard for foreigners to get visa and immigration clearance in Hong Kong, Luxemburg, Norway, Macau and Singapore but the manner of the officials conduct with foreigners is not so rude. These are in lowest crime rate in global ranking index but considered as most successful for their immigration diplomacy. In these places, mostly the foreigners are tightened with laws and they keep foreigners well efficiently and tactfully under the security surveillance. For the US, it is hard to get visa and clearance from the immigration at the point of entry, but once you enter, foreigners have not to be stressed for further activity. Any entered foreigners can live there till they want, if he or she lives in normal way. There are many foreigners living in the United States crossing the visa laws but the authority are found often silent. For example, people obtain tourist visa but they work or study, students obtain study visa but they work indefinitely after completion of study, no matter whether you are living without having the proper category of visa stamping in the passport. Even in the US Bank, the over stay or illegal alien do not requires visa strictly for banking transactions. People can join and continue the academic and training institution without obtaining the respective visa. There are no any authorities who have exact and updated records and files on the foreigners' activity. Of course there are many institutions and mechanism developed by the US laws however they are limited in formalities and for those who goes to contact themselves voluntarily. There are very minimum activities of supervision and control over foreigners' activities. The performances of such authorities are questionable in many steps of visa, security and immigration clearance or during the process of visa transformation in the US.

It is totally erroneous to know the US authorities still believe that only tighten in visa and immigration clearance at the border security point can save the country from possible danger. Is not a just hallucination? They should also think immediately about the negative impact of such terror that how general foreigners may react over such behavior. The US is a country of prosperity, opportunity, power and freedom. People have extreme craze to travel, live, work, study, and stay in the US. Such charming and attraction continues only till the US maintains and offers the minimum standards of humanity towards the outlanders. The foreigners people like till they receive and feel the honor of their dignity, rights and value, otherwise the situation may reversed. The US universal commitment and avowal towards pluralism, diversity and broader human rights will be naked if the US unable to pay attention to transform into friendly and acceptable immigration diplomacy. The US must introduce and practice universally approved norms of immigration diplomacy that will help to know and identify the right of people in right manner. In the name of security the US should no more boost the number of the US enemies. The US government should be very careful and realize that such ridicules policy is also somehow helping the terrorist strategies who have been always acting to weaken and keep lonely the US from global mateship.

Therefore, it is urgent need to the Government of United States that they start to rethink over the currently practicing defective Immigration Diplomacy.