7mo ago

I was detained at a US airport and asked about Israel and Gaza for 2 hours. Why? | Ilan Pappé

www.theguardian.com I was detained at a US airport and asked about Israel and Gaza for 2 hours. Why? | Ilan Pappé

Border agents asked whether I believe Israel is committing genocide and what I think of popular protest slogans shortly after I landed in Detroit

I was held for two hours. The first round of questions was about my views on Hamas. Then the agents wished to know whether I thought Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip amount to genocide and what I think of the slogan “Palestine should be free from the river to the sea”. I said yes, I do think Israel is committing genocide. As to the slogan, I said that in my view people anywhere in the world should be free.

Then the agents interrogated me about who I know in the Arab American and Muslim American community. They asked me to provide them with telephone numbers, took my phone away for quite a long period and asked to wait until they made some phone calls before they let me go.

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Wow, there is really some shit going on in USA, we would usually only expect from a totalitarian regime, and absolutely not from a democracy.
- Wow, there is really some shit going on in USA, we would usually only expect from a totalitarian regime, and absolutely not from a democracy.
  The biggest issue is that the Biden administration is laying the pavement like they are.
- This happens in almost every countries customs, its not unique to the US
- Well that's what we get for letting Trump win... Huh? What's that? Biden is still President?
  
  Created by GW Bush in 2008, passed in 2009 :
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_Security_Screening_Selection
  Not all laws are recent you know.
  
  Presidential administrations have a huge amout of discretion in how they administer the law in our system. Just look at the way border security processes constantly change despite no new legislation being passed. And you know that very well. If Trump was in office, you would absolutely put the blame at his feet.
  
  Last time trump was in office, people were rightfully blaming him for a lot of shit he publicly acclaimed.
  On his watch, you don't need to dig for reasons to hate him, he gives quite a lot of those.
  
  AFAIK the basis for these checks were established under Bush. So mostly designed by Republicans and not democrats.
  
  we never fixed them
  
  We've had two Obama terms and one entire Biden term since then.
  
  Damn it's so sad no democrat president was elected before yesterday, but now that a non fascist is in power I'm sure those unjust laws will be repealed any second

27 comments