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Guam exile?
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Posted on May 25 2005
Has anyone else felt like a foreigner when entering Guam? I have and being a U.S. citizen and native of the Marianas, I shouldn’t feel that way. Immigration officers on Guam need a reality check. They feel like they can prevent anyone from entering the island, no matter what your citizenship is. Everyone except for the immigration officers on Guam seem to know that citizens of the Freely Associated States are free to enter the U.S. as often and for as long as they see fit.
While working at the airport on Guam, I observed the way they treat incoming passengers. Even tourists whom the government spends millions of dollars trying to lure into the island are treated like herds of cattle. Instead of a warm “hafa adai” greeting, they use the word “doozo” like a command when they want your attention. Now with the fingerprinting policy, they have another way of being mean to tourists. They grab their fingers and press it on the pad as if they’re some sort of criminal. I’ve never met a bunch of arrogant people like those officers.
Mr. Haiti Usar shouldn’t be denied entry to the island where his family is. He has fully served his sentence, so why is he still denied entry to the island? I don’t understand how he can easily be turned away without further investigation of his case. Seems to me that the Guam INS officers are able to deny anyone entry to an island that doesn’t control its own immigration. I pray for Mr. Usar and hope he does return to his family, but if I were him, I’d move to Saipan where the Chuukese community are much more welcomed.
Ron Muna
Houston, Texas
