Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan Detained at Newark Liberty International Airport
admin on 08 16, 2009
Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan also known as SRK was detained on India’s Independence Day at Newark Liberty International Airport by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ). Khan was asked to step aside for a ”secondary inspection” at Newark International airport on Friday en route to an event to celebrate India’s Independence Day in Chicago. Why ? Some say cause his name is “Khan” and also because he just finished shooting the movie ” My Name Is Khan “, a movie which is about racial profiling of Muslims after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
A ”secondary inspection” is when an ICE Agent working the immigration counter asks an intended visitor to move to a different line for detailed questioning should he not be able to verify the visitor’s information or have doubts on the visitors intentions for visiting.
What is surprising is why Shah Rukh, a frequent visitor to the US, and was there a month back shooting his latest movie “My Name is Khan,” was subjected to a ”secondary inspection”. When asked SRK said it was because of his last name; ie his religion. He was questioned for almost 2 hours, asked what he thought were completely irrelevant questions. He was not allowed to use his cell phone (Per ICE rules visitors are not permitted to use cellphones before clearing immigration
Khan told Times of India, India’s largest Newspaper, ”I told them I was a movie star and had recently visited the country for the shooting of my film. Nothing seemed to convince the immigration officer. There were other immigration officers who even vouched for me but this particular officer did not listen to anyone. I even told them I had an invitation from the South Asian community and was there to attend an event.”
After 2 hrs of Detention, Shah Rukh Khan was finally released due ot the timely intervention of the Indian Consulate who had to vouch for him. When asked how Khan felt from this incident, he replied that he did not feel so welcome in the US and would review any future plans to visit the US again. He further stated that his papers were in order, it seemed to be a case of a messed up system that could not be changed due to the way things worked. He felt sad and embarrassed by this incident.
Questions that arise from this incident are
* Why was he detained ?
* Why did it take 2 hrs to verify his identity ?
* What actions will be taken to ensure these kinds of unfortunate incidents dont happen again ?
* Will everyone admit it was a mistake and nothing else ?
What happens at a US port of entry and What to expect and what do ICE Agents do?
* Upon arrival you must present your passport. The ICE officer will then review your documents to determine whether to allow you to enter the US.
* The ICE officer will be at a primary inspection station and ask you questions to determine and verify your identity.
* Once admittance is decided by the ICE officer he would then decide how long you would be allowed to stay in the US, and in what status to admit you.
* ICE officers reviews your documents and cross reference them with fingerprint records databases for red flags.
What questions do ICE officers ask?
ICE officers may ask you questions to determine the true nature of your trip to the US. They are highly trained, and have seen every kind of traveller and heard every story. They can easily read between the lines and determine if a visitor has a pre-conceived intent behind their trip to the US. You say you are going to see your sister in Texas yet are landing in New York and have no ticket to travel from New York to Texas. If an officer is not convinced with your initial statements, they may ask for additional supporting documentation be allowing you to enter the US.
Authority of ICE officials, what they can do?
ICE Agents have complete power and authority at all Point of Entry’s. They can decide if you are admissible or not regardless of the fact that you have a valid visa. Once the officer decides that you are admissible he would stamp your passport confirming admittance to the United States.
When does someone get referred for Secondary Inspection ?
If the ICE agent feels that the inspection requires additional time for review to determine a foreign national’s eligibility, the officer may refer the foreign national for a “secondary inspection.” This secondary inspection is a much more detailed review. Normally any visitor referred for secondary inspection is not considered to be “admitted” to the US.
What to expect in a secondary inspection?
The visitor will be asked in detail about their travel plans for the US. Additional identification will be needed to determine their actual identity and purpose of their visit to the United States. The baggage of the visitor will also be searched, and full set of fingerprints will be scanned into a database.
