At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office在JFK机场，无可否认的基本权利，只不过是另一天在办公室
I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria.我最近也阻挡不住的国土安全部，正如我是留学回国访问叙利亚。 What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.我所看到的在时间之后感到震惊和不安的我。
AlterNet | I arrived at JFK Airport two weeks ago after a short vacation to Syria and presented my American passport for re-entry to the United States. alternet |我到达JFK机场两个星期前，经过短暂的假期，以叙利亚和介绍了我的美国护照，为重新进入美国。 After 28 hours of traveling, I had settled into a hazy awareness that this was the last, most familiar leg of a long journey.经过28小时的旅行，我已经解决了成为一个有烟霞的认识，这是最后，最熟悉的一站一漫长的旅途。 I exchanged friendly words with the Homeland Security official who was recording my name in his computer. i交换了友好的话，与国土安全部官员谁是录音以本人名义在他的电脑。 He scrolled through my passport, and when his thumb rested on my Syrian visa, he paused.他滚过通过我的护照，当他的拇指休息，对我的叙利亚的签证，他已暂停。 Jerking toward the door of his glass-enclosed booth, he slid my passport into a dingy green plastic folder and walked down the hallway, motioning for me to follow with a flick of his wrist. jerking对他的大门玻璃封闭的展台，他滑向我的护照成为一个dingy绿色塑料文件夹，并走下走廊， motioning ，我跟随一个弹簧刀他的手腕。 Where was he taking me, I asked him.那里是他考虑的话，我问他。 “You’ll find out,” he said. “你会发现， ”他说。
We got to an enclosed holding area in the arrivals section of the airport.我们到了一个封闭的地区举行，在来港定居人士的一段机场。 He shoved the folder into my hand and gestured toward four sets of Homeland Security guards sitting at large desks.他被推下的文件夹到我的手和gestured对四套国土安全警卫坐在大书桌。 Attached to each desk were metal poles capped with red, white and blue siren lights.重视每一台被金属极上限与红色，白色和蓝色警报灯。 I approached two guards carrying weapons and wearing uniforms similar to New York City police officers, but they shook their heads, laughed and said, “Over there,” pointing in the direction of four overflowing holding pens. i接近两名警卫携带武器和穿制服类似纽约市警务人员，但他们摇摇头，笑着说， “在那里， ”在指向的方向，四溢流举行笔。 I approached different desks until I found an official who nodded and shoved my green folder in a crowded metal file holder. i接触不同的书桌，直到我发现一位官员谁点头，并被推我的绿色文件夹在拥挤的金属文件的持有人。 When I asked him why I was there, he glared at me, took a sip from his water bottle, bit into a sandwich, and began to dig between his molars with his forefinger.当我问他为什么，我在那里，他glared我，采取了SIP的从他的水壶，有点成为一个夹心，并开始挖他的磨牙与他的食指。 I found a seat next to a man who looked about my age — in his late 20s — and waited.我发现隔壁座位的一名男子谁看过我的年龄-他在3 0岁-和等待。
Omar (not his real name) finished his fifth year in biomedical engineering at City College in June.奥马尔（不是他的真实姓名）完成他的第五个年头，在生物医学工程，在城市学院在6月。 He had just arrived from Beirut, where he visited his family and was waiting to go home to the apartment he shared with his brother in Harlem.他刚刚从贝鲁特抵达，他在那里参观了他的家人和正在等待回家的公寓，他同意与他的兄弟在哈莱姆。 Despite his near-perfect English and designer jeans, Omar looked scared.尽管他近乎完美的英语和设计师牛仔裤，奥马尔期待害怕。 He rubbed his hands and rocked softly in his seat.他揉他的手和震撼悄悄在他的座位。 He had been waiting for hours already, and, as he pointed out, a number of people — some sick, elderly, pregnant or holding sobbing babies — had too.他一直在等待时，已经，并且正如他指出，有一些人-一些病人，老人，怀孕或控股哭泣的婴儿-过。 There were approximately 70 people detained in our cordoned-off section: All were Arab (with the exception of me and the friend I traveled with), and almost all had arrived from Dubai, Amman or Damascus.有大约70人被拘留在我们的封锁小康条：所有被阿拉伯（除了我和朋友走过与i ） ，以及几乎所有已运抵从迪拜，安曼或大马士革。 Many were US citizens.许多人的美国公民。
We were in the front row, sitting a few feet from two guards’ desks.我们在前排，坐在几英尺，由两名警卫书桌。 They sneered at each bewildered arrival, told jokes in whispers, swiveled in their office chairs and greeted passing guards who stopped to talk — guards who had a habit of looping their fingers into their holsters.他们嘲笑在每一个莫名其妙的到来，说笑话，在窃窃私语， swiveled在他们的办公椅和迎接通过警卫谁停下来对话-警卫谁了习惯，缝盘，他们的手指到他们的手枪套。 One asked his friend how many nationalities were represented in the room.一问他的朋友有多少民族派代表出席了在会议室。 “About 20. “ 20人左右。 Some of everything today.”一些今天的一切“ 。
No one who had been detained knew precisely why they were there.没有人谁已被拘留知道，正因如此，他们有。 A few people were led into private rooms; others were questioned out in the open at desks a few feet from the crowd and then allowed to pass through customs.极少数人被带往到单人房;等人质疑，指出在开放在课桌几英尺，从人群，然后允许通过海关。 Some were sent to another section of the holding area with large computer screens and cameras, and then brought back.一些被送往另一部分地区举行大型电脑屏幕及相机，然后带回。 The uninformed consensus among the detainees was that some people would be fingerprinted, have their irises scanned and be sent back to the countries from which they had disembarked, regardless of citizenship status; others would be fingerprinted and allowed to stay; and the unlucky ones would be detained indefinitely and moved to a more permanent facility.在不知情的共识，被拘留者的是，有些人会被采指纹，他们的虹膜扫描和被送回的国家，从他们下船，不论公民身份;他人将捺指印，并获准逗留;不幸的会被拘留无限期转移到了一个更永久设施。
There was one British tourist in the group.有一位英国游客在该组。 Paul (also not his real name) was traveling with three friends who had passed through customs soon after their plane landed and were waiting for him on the other side of the metal barrier; he suspected he had been detained because of his dark skin.保罗（也并非他的真实姓名）是旅行与三位朋友谁已通过海关后不久，他们的飞机降落，并等待他对另一边的金属屏障;他怀疑他已被拘留，因为他的黑暗的皮肤。 When he asked if he could go to the bathroom, one of the guards said, “I wouldn’t.” “What if someone has to?” I asked.当他问他是否可以去洗手间，其中一个警卫说： “我不会” ， “什么，如果有人要吗？ ”我问。 “They will just have to hold it,” the guard responded with a smile. “他们将只举行， ”看守回应以微笑。 Paul began to cry.保罗开始伤心地哭了。 I watched as he, over the course of four hours, went from feeling exuberant about his trip to New York to despising the entire country.我看了他，超过的过程中了4个小时，从感觉旺盛的关于他此行到纽约，轻视整个国家。 “I speak the Queen’s English,” he said to me. “我发言的皇后英语， ”他对我说。 “I’m third-generation British. “我的第三代英。 I came to America because I’ve always wanted to come here, and now they’ve got me so scared that all I want to do is go home.我来到美国，因为我总是要来这里，现在他们让我这么害怕，所有我想要做的是回家。 We’re paying for your stupid war anyway.”我们正在付出代价您愚蠢的战争，无论如何“ 。
To be powerless and mocked at the same time makes one feel ashamed, which leads quickly to rage.以无能为力和嘲笑在同一时间，使一感到羞愧，从而导致迅速肆虐。 Within a few hours of my arrival, I saw at least 10 people denied the right to use the bathroom or buy food and water.在几个小时我的到来，我看到了至少10人否认使用权，浴室或购买食物和水。 I watched my traveling companion duck under a barrier, run to the bathroom and slip back into the holding section — which, of course, someone of another ethnicity in a state of panic would be very reluctant to do.我看了我的旅行同伴鸭下一个障碍，运行到浴室和重新陷入举行的第-这，当然，有人另一种族在一个国家的恐慌将是非常不愿意这样做。 The United States is good at naming enemies, but apparently we are even better at making them, especially of individuals.美国是好的，在命名的敌人，但显然我们甚至更好地使它们，特别是个人。 I don’t know if it’s worse for national security — and more embarrassing for Americans — that this is the first experience tourists have of our country, or that some US citizens get treated this way upon entering their own country.我不知道，如果它更糟糕的国家安全-和更加尴尬的美国人-这是第一次的经验，游客已经对我们的国家，或一些美国公民得到这样的待遇后，进入自己的国家。
The guard who had been picking his molars for hours quietly mispronounced the names of people whose turn it was to be questioned, muttering each surname three times and then moving on.警卫谁已采摘他的磨牙小时悄悄mispronounced姓名的人把它是要受到质疑， muttering每个姓氏的3倍，然后在前进。 When he called Omar from City College to his desk, I moved closer to hear the interview.当他呼吁奥马尔从城市学院，以他的办公桌，我谨动议密切听到的采访。 “Where did you go?” the officer asked. “您从哪儿去？ ”主任问。 “What is your address in the United States? “什么是您的地址在美国的呢？ Is your brother here illegally?是你的兄弟在这里非法？ Do you support Hezbollah?你是否支持真主党？ What do you think of Hezbollah in general?您怎么看真主党在一般呢？ How do you pay for your life here?你如何支付你的生活在这里出现？ How many people live with you?有多少人与你的生活？ Are you sure it’s just you and your brother?您确定这只是你和你的兄弟？ Who are your friends?” Omar answered respectfully and emphatically; he was then asked to wait by the side of the desk, from which he was ushered toward one of the rooms.谁是你的朋友“ ？奥马尔回答恭敬地并强调，他当时问要等待由一方的服务台，从他迎来了对一的房间。
After four hours, I finally demanded to speak to the guards’ supervisor, and he was called down.后4个小时，最后，我要求发言，向看守主管，他被称为下来。 I asked if the detainees could file a formal complaint.我问，如果被拘留者可以提交一份正式投诉。 He said there were complaint forms (which, in English and Spanish, direct one to the Department of Homeland Security’s Web site, where one must enter extensive personal information in order to file a “Trip Summary”) but initially refused to hand them out or to give me his telephone number.他说，有投诉表格（其中，英语和西班牙语，直接一到国土安全部的网站上，其中一人必须输入广泛的个人信息，以便为档案“之旅概要” ） ，但最初拒绝交出他们列或给我他的电话号码。 “The Department of Homeland Security is understaffed, underfunded, and I have men here who are doing 14-hour days.” He tried to intimidate me when I wrote down his name — “So, you’re writing down our names. “国土安全部是人员不足，经费不足，和我有男子在这里谁是做14小时的天” ，他试图恐吓我，当我写下他的名字-“那么，您写下来，我们的名字。 Well, we have more on you” — and asked me questions about my address and my profession in front of the rest of the people detained.那么，我们有更多的对你“ -问我的问题我的地址和我的专业在前面其余的人被拘留。 I pointed out a few of the families who had missed their flights and had been waiting seven hours.我曾指出，少数的家庭谁已错过航班，并已等待了七个多小时。 His voice barely controlled, his lip curled into a smirk, he explained slowly, condescendingly, that they need only go to the ticket counter at Jet Blue and reschedule so they could fly out in an hour.他的声音几乎没有控制，他的唇卷曲成为一个smirk ，他解释，慢慢地， condescendingly ，他们只需要到票务柜台射流蓝色和重新安排，以便他们能飞，在一个多小时。 One mother responded with what he must have already known: Jet Blue goes to most destinations only once or twice a day and her whole family would have to sleep in the airport.一位妈妈的反应是什么，他必须已经知道：喷气蓝去最目的地只有一次或两次，每天和她的全家都睡在机场迎接。
A large crowd began to gather.一大群人开始聚集之处。 Everyone wanted to voice complaints.每个人都想要的声音，投诉。 I explained to the supervisor that his guards had been making people afraid.我已解释，以校监，他的警卫已使人们害怕。 He flipped through the green files, tossing the American passports to the front of the pile.他翻转通过绿色档案，折腾美国护照的前端，桩。 “You should have gone first, before these people. “你应该有经历了第一，之前这些人。 American citizens first — that’s how it should be.” In the face of dozens of requests and questions, he turned and left.美国公民的第一-这应如何“ ，在面对几十个要求和问题，他拒绝离开。
The guards processed me then, ignoring the order of arrivals, if there ever had been one.看守人员处理我，然后，不顾秩序来港定居人士，如果有以往任何时候都已经一。 They refused to distribute more complaint forms or call the supervisor back down at the request of Arab families.他们拒绝发给更多的投诉表格，或致电监回落时，应请求阿拉伯家庭。 One officer threatened, “I’m talking politely to you now.一名官员的威胁， “我所说的礼貌，以你现在。 If you don’t sit down, I won’t be talking politely to you anymore.” One announced that because “the American girl” had gotten angry, the families would have to wait a few more hours.如果你不坐下来，我不会谈论礼貌地向你了。 “一宣布，因为”美国女孩“已得到了愤怒，家属将要等待数个小时。 “The supervisor is not coming back.” “监不回来” 。
I reassured my Homeland Security interrogator that I did not make any connections with Hezbollah or with anyone I knew to be associated with such an organization. i放心，我的国土安全部审讯，我没有做任何的联系与真主党或与任何人，我知道要与之关联的这样一个组织。 I am not a member of any terrorist group.我不是一个会员的任何恐怖集团。 In fact, my visit to Syria had been so apolitical and touristy that I felt an embarrassing affinity with the pastel-shirted families waiting by the Air France baggage carousels in the distance, whom I knew I would eventually join.其实，我的访问叙利亚已使非政治化和旅游，我认为，一个尴尬的亲和力与粉彩- shirted家庭轮候由法国航空行李carousels在距离，其中我知道我最终会加入。
As I walked out of the enclosure, some people thanked me, squeezing my arm and putting their hands on my shoulders.正如我走出围墙，有些人感谢我，挤压我的胳膊，把他们的手放在我的肩上。 It was shocking that briefly standing up to someone overseeing an abuse of civil rights — in JFK airport, in the United States, where we supposedly have laws and a democratic judicial system — could be perceived as heroic.这是令人震惊的是，简单地站起来要有人监督一个滥用民事权利-在J FK机场，在美国，我们理应有法律和民主的司法系统-可视为英雄。 I had nothing to lose, but the other people being detained had everything to lose.我有什么可失去的，但其他人仍被扣留了一切，失去了。
In the past five years I have worked for human rights and refugee advocacy organizations in Serbia, Russia and Croatia, including the International Rescue Committee and USAID.在过去5年，我已工作了人权和难民倡导组织在塞尔维亚，俄罗斯和克罗地亚，包括国际救援委员会和美国国际开发署。 I have traveled to many different places, some supposedly repressive, and have never seen people treated with the kind of animosity that Homeland Security showed that night.我曾前往许多不同的地点，一些理应镇压，还从来没见过的人的待遇与种敌意认为，国土安全部表明，夜间。 In Syria, border control officers were stern but polite.在叙利亚，边境管制人员的严峻，但有礼貌。 At other borders there have been bureaucracies to contend with — excruciating for both Americans and other foreign nationals.在其他的边界有官僚与-的痛苦，为美国人和其他外国国民。 I’ve met Russian officials with dead, suspicious looks in their eyes and arms tired from stamping so many visas, but in America, the Homeland Security officials I encountered were very much alive — like vultures waiting to eat.我已经会见了俄罗斯官员与死亡，可疑的期待，在他们眼中和军备控制累了，从冲压这么多的签证，但在美国，国土安全部官员我遇到非常活着-像v ultures等待吃。
Have Your Say: At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office 你说：在JFK机场，无可否认的基本权利，只不过是另一天在办公室
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