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PORTLAND AIRPORT INS OFFICIALS AGAIN ACCUSED OF ABUSE OF POWER
Despite making promises to avoid jailing travelers in all but aggravated cases, INS inspectors at the Portland Airport have again jailed an innocent visitor. Guo Liming, a Chinese businesswoman, was jailed for two nights last week after officials rejected her passport. Liming’s passport was worn out and INS officials mistakenly believed the document was doctored. In fact, the passport was authentic. INS officials actually blamed Liming for her own fate saying she should have known that the document looked fake and she should have had it replaced. 
We have previously reported that the Portland Airport has perhaps the worst reputation of any US point of entry when it comes to the harassment of travelers. A much higher percentage of visitors are denied entry in Portland than other airports on the west coast. The Portland INS has faced a torrent of criticism in recent weeks and promised to only detain travelers in aggravated cases.  The INS claims Liming’s case was aggravated despite the fact that she had used the same valid passport on two prior occasions. 
Guo told reporters that INS inspectors forced her to strip to her underwear for a search. She was handcuffed and taken on a two hour car ride to The Dalles detention facility. Guo gave the INS $1300 in cash when she was detained. When she was released, she was given a check for $1300 and was unable to get a bank to cash the check after visiting three institutions. Guo also says she never received an apology. 
Delta Airlines and the city of Portland have probably been affected as much as the Asian travelers being harassed. Asian travel agents have been warning customers to avoid flying into Portland. Delta’s traffic on its Oregon flights have been hurt and tourism in Portland has been hurt. Delta is said to be considering grounding its Portland flights, something that could have a significantly negative impact on the Oregon economy. 
 
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