Lankave un Ausi Citizenship gaththata vedak na. Vena ratakata yana kota Airport eke discriminate(where were you born then dead)
I use to visit the US every year. An annual bankers conference provided the legitimate excuse to give my wife and because we are such long way away from the rest of the world (20 hour flight), I would leave 2 weeks before the conference to take in 2 new US cities every year (1 week in each).
I travel on an Australian passport and consider my self Australian even though I was born in Lebanon. My mum migrated to Australia in 1966 when I was 3, We became citizens when I was 8 and have not lived anywhere else in the world. I love living in Australia and consider it the only real example of a successful multicultural society anywhere in the world having visited now over 35 countries. I married a girl from Hong Kong, have 2 boys raised and educated here and they cant imagine anyone of them thinking they were anything but Australian.
On my first trip to the US was to New York, a city I always wanted to visit. My business in those days was thriving and I had booked a Qantas direct 1st class seat. Having never flown first class, I felt overwhelmed by the service. I was met at the arrivals lounge by a Qantas employee with a sign with my name on it, who walked with me to the luggage collection area, pointed out the customs area and left saying “Welcome to NY, I hope you enjoy your stay and we will look forward to seeing again on your way home. “
It was clear from her accent that she was an American employee who I assumed lived in NY.
That level of courtesy and service that was extended to me from the moment I had checked in at Sydney till I got my luggage in NY (Except for the one crew member who suggested I was in the wrong section one night walking back to my seat after visiting the toilet, a story for another post) was exceptional.
So I was thrown off guard when I reached the customs desk and a customs officer grabbed my passport ignoring my hello. My first thought was “He will be friendly when he realizes I’m Australian because Australia and the US have a great relationship. After all we are nearly the 51st state.” .
What you may not be aware of if you are not Australian is that Australia, New Zealand and the US are party to an agreement called the ANZUS treaty vowing to support each other against any attack from another country. This is obviously in our favor as we have 1/10th of the US population spread across a similar land mass. I remember in the 80’s and 90’s when the USS Missouri visited, NZ denied it entry because it had a “No nuclear” policy but Australia not only welcomed it, we set up hotlines for sailors to meet Australian girls while on R&R.
You can imagine my dismay when after having my fingerprints taken and a retina scan when he started a very aggressive line of questioning.
“How long were you in Australia?”
“I live there, I’m Australian.”
“That's not what your passport say, why are you lying to me?”
“Sorry? It’s an Australian Passport”
“Where were you born?”
“I see, Lebanon. I’m an Australian citizen”
“I’ll ask you again. How long have you lived in Australia?”
I was starting to feel like a criminal. I had to stop and think about counting back the years from 66 till then. Finally I settled for;
“Nearly all my life, my mum migrated when I was 3.”
“ You have never lived anywhere else?”
“No.”
“What are you doing in the US?”
“I’m attending a conference?”
“What's your occupation?
“I'm a banker.”
“ Where’s the conference?”
“Chicago.”
“This is New York, not Chicago.”
“I know, I thought while I’m here I’d take the opportunity to visit New York, we grew up on diets of US TV you know” I smiled trying to tone down the conversation. But the look on his face suggested he was not having a bar of it I trailed off by mumbling “Welcome Back Kotter, Seinfeld, Law and Order..”
“Who are you travelling with?”
“ No one, I’m on my own”
“You come all the way to the US on your own? I find that hard to believe.”
“I am meeting up with an Aussie contingent in Chicago at the conference.”
“Who do you know in New York? “
“No one.”
“Your visiting New York on your own, you don’t know anyone and your travelling on your own. This is very suspicious.”
“Look, I don't know what you think or what sparked your suspicion but I am starting to feel very intimidated. Isn't this the land of innocent until proven guilty? At this point either you send me back home or let me in, I dont care, but I am getting pissed at being made to feel like a criminal.”
He ignored me and continued
“Where are you staying?”
“Ritz at Battery park.”
He handed me back the passport without looking at me and as fast as he could says “Welcome to New York, enjoy your stay. NEXT” and looks right past me.
Clearing customs in Sydney on my return flight the customs officer smiles at me, hands me back the passport and says “welcome home”. Almost bought a tear to my eye.
“Glad to be home” I smile back.
That year I was renewing my passport and recounted the incident to the official interviewing me for the passport. He says,
“You know what, we just need the town you were born in, we don't need to include the country.”
Then he leans forward, looks around to make sure noone can hear him and say, “if they ask you where that is, just say it’s a little town in the outback, they wont know the difference.”
I dont know if that was the right thing for him to do but its typical of Australian larrikinism and sure enough, I was never given the 3rd degree by US customs again.
