Look out, there's a banana and an Egyptian in the car
by Crystal Trulove
Forum | 8/30/05
Posted online at 1:51 AM EST on 8/30/05
My friends and I went to Mexico in May. I was the only one from the States. Mexico, England, and Egypt were also represented among us. We had had an awesome time exploring northern Baja, but finally it was time to wend our way through Tijuana and cross the border back into the United States. Ever since September 11, when I try to get into the U.S. from another country, it's been a hassle. As I inched the car forward, I watched to see what the border officer was doing at the front of the line. He'd exchange a few words with the driver, and then wave them through. He did the same thing with our car...almost.
"Where are you folks from?" the officer asked.
"L.A." I answered.
"Do you have anything to declare? Any fruit?"
"Nope." I answered.
"OK, then..." he said, taking a step backwards.
I saw his hand flinch as if to wave us through, while at the same time he bent down to get a good look at the people in the back seat. His gaze stopped on the tall young man with dark curly hair, tanned skin, and big brown eyes. He sighed and told us he would need to see ID from everyone in the car.
Sure enough, three of us got our stuff back, but our friend from Cairo did not. We were sent to a different building off the road and told to wait while our friend was taken away. As he was led to a restricted area, we stood by the car and waited and worried.
We watched with interest the other people detained. Were they like us? Did they "look" Middle Eastern? Did they "look" young and ambitious? I got a chuckle out of seeing a car with four Mexican nuns pull in beside us. God will take care of a lot of things, but it's up to you to remember your passport! A large empty car pulled up next to the nuns. Two officers spoke to the young driver, and asked him to open the trunk for them. Four people climbed out! They were all handcuffed immediately and taken away.
We continued to wait while there was still no sign of our Egyptian friend. We couldn't avoid the obvious any longer, and we started talking about racial profiling.
"Where are you folks from?" the officer asked.
"L.A." I answered.
"Do you have anything to declare? Any fruit?"
"Nope." I answered.
"OK, then..." he said, taking a step backwards.
I saw his hand flinch as if to wave us through, while at the same time he bent down to get a good look at the people in the back seat. His gaze stopped on the tall young man with dark curly hair, tanned skin, and big brown eyes. He sighed and told us he would need to see ID from everyone in the car.
Sure enough, three of us got our stuff back, but our friend from Cairo did not. We were sent to a different building off the road and told to wait while our friend was taken away. As he was led to a restricted area, we stood by the car and waited and worried.
We watched with interest the other people detained. Were they like us? Did they "look" Middle Eastern? Did they "look" young and ambitious? I got a chuckle out of seeing a car with four Mexican nuns pull in beside us. God will take care of a lot of things, but it's up to you to remember your passport! A large empty car pulled up next to the nuns. Two officers spoke to the young driver, and asked him to open the trunk for them. Four people climbed out! They were all handcuffed immediately and taken away.
We continued to wait while there was still no sign of our Egyptian friend. We couldn't avoid the obvious any longer, and we started talking about racial profiling.
