| 9/11
immigration crackdown hits law-abiding residents hard
By KELLI SAMANTHA HEWETT
Staff
Writer
Red tape causes jailings, deportations
The worst of John Colin Smith's U.S. immigration nightmare came
in July 2002, when the Belle Meade resident was jailed overnight
with an accused Thai drug smuggler.
Originally from London, Smith has worked legally in the United
States since the 1980s, designing and building recording studios. He
says he's never had a legal problem, not even a speeding ticket.
But changes in immigration policies after the Sept. 11 attacks
left Smith with a web of government red tape, two deportations and
that night in jail.
Middle Tennessee immigration experts say the hastily revamped
federal immigration service, new FBI security checks and
understaffing create backlogs and drama for foreigners trying to
legally work, study and resettle here.
''It was just an unreal feeling,'' said Smith. ''I can laugh
about it now, but at the time it wasn't funny.''
When his visa unexpectedly expired he had filed his renewal
more than six months earlier Smith was denied re-entry into the
country at Dulles Airport after a two-week trip to Europe with his
then-fiancιe, U.S. citizen Cheryl Melton of Belle Meade.
The two were separated in the airport immigration line and she
was left holding his suitcase, wondering what had happened. Smith
was taken into a room, questioned, fingerprinted, handcuffed and put
on the next plane for London.
A month later, Smith thought his case was in order and he could
come back. But he was deported a second time jailed for a day and
a half while he waited for the next plane to London.
His nightmare continued. His work visa was denied. He was
estranged from his home and job for nearly a year.
''I was stunned and scared,'' Melton said.
The couple didn't give up, and applied for a fiance visa instead.
The last leg of paperwork came this July, after help from U.S. Sen.
Bill Frist's office. Smith and his bride were finally married
Sunday.
''I think we are going to continue to see a very turbulent time
in our immigration system, at least for the next few years,'' said
their attorney, Greg Siskind, who has offices in Nashville and
Memphis.
Many of the changes are continuing during the former Immigration
and Naturalization Service's transition into three separate
divisions of the new federal Department of Homeland Security: the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process paperwork; the
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for enforcement and
deportation; and the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection
for border patrols.
It's tough to communicate with the agencies involved, say
immigration lawyers, applicants and aides in congressional
offices.
Catholic Charities in Nashville has seen a substantial drop in
the resettlement of refugees, which follows a national trend.
''We've resettled about a third of what we did pre-Sept. 11,''
said Holly Johnson, who handles resettlement for Catholic Charities
in Middle Tennessee.
All are family-related cases, Johnson said, which means close
relatives parents, children and siblings are often
separated.
University students face similar challenges: New requirements to
document more details about foreign students are delaying visas.
''The security part I understand 100%, but they are so
inefficient and unorganized,'' said makeup artist Maureen Anstey, a
Canadian now living legally in Nashville.
Anstey liked the United States enough to apply for permanent
residence, but she desperately wants government-issued travel
documents so she can legally visit her sick, 88-year-old father in
Canada.
If she leaves without the authorization, she forfeits her
permanent residence application. The process, which used to take
about a month, can now take six months for additional security
checks regardless of her father's health.
''It's really tough to tell clients there's nothing much more I
can do,'' said Anstey's attorney, Cheryl Williams, of Rose
Immigration Law Firm in Nashville. ''It affects people's lives very
greatly.''
Home countries
Top home countries of Tennessee's 167,999 foreign-born
residents:
Mexico, 51,174
Germany, 7,999
India, 7,129
Canada, 6,918
United Kingdom, 6,403
China/Hong Kong/Taiwan, 6,124
Source: U.S. Census, 2000/Center for Immigration Studies
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