Monday, September 30, 2013

Cheech Al-Flan



Arab Times repost, Sept 28, 2013: Barely two days after departing Kuwait to begin his tertiary education in the United States, Kuwaiti student Ahmad Adel Abdul-Hussein was deported back to Kuwait from Los Angeles, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily. According to Ahmad, the US authorities claimed he was Mexican by nationality and birth and had found errors in his traveling passport and the arrival time. Earlier in 2011, the student secured approval of the Higher Education Ministry to study in the US and joined an institute in October the same year before gaining admission to a university later. He said the US immigration officers detained and grilled him inside a dark room at Los Angeles Airport and his efforts to reach officials of the Kuwaiti Embassy on phone proved futile, as nobody picked his calls. 

Consequently, he left a voice message while he remained in detention until 3:00am. He stressed that FBI agents moved him to an underground detention outside the airport the next day and was chained and led back to the airport later. He explained that all European airlines they approached refused to carry him, so security officers continued making contacts for seven hours until American Airlines transported him to London. He said the US officials delivered him to their counterparts at Heathrow Airport and was referred to the Kuwaiti counter with his passport, grilling documents and reports which indicated US officials had punched his passport, stamped deportation on his passport and revoked his visa, with several other allegations.

He reiterated he remained a bonafide student of his university until the day of his deportation, even though the US authorities based his deportation on failure to meet stipulated conditions, reiterating he never committed any offense throughout his stay in that country. He noted the Kuwaiti Consul in Los Angeles contacted him after he arrived in Kuwait to find out what had happened. He urged the Ministry of Higher Education to help him complete his education in the United Kingdom.


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OOPS!  
No really, our TSA's are some of the most sophisticated in the world....
"Well, Billy Bob... he looks like oner dem 'Mexicans...."

I also blame the Kuwaiti officials in the States.  I can tell you first-hand how hard it often is to get someone to answer the phone there.  And if it is after working hours - you're F-ed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"And all the wait and hassles of the US Embassy in Kuwait is just preparation for TSA in the States", so I stated in an earler comment about the Kuwaitis (justifiably) complaining about the poor customer service at your Embassy. It appears not better with their Embassy either, who has to service the entire West coast, and should have someone to answer the phone 24/7 for emergencies (What did I disturb your dinner a Katsuya?) So the other day it was reported that stranded Kuwaiti students, who were accepted in US colleges had their visa's delayed by your Embassy, but after this story, maybe they might chalk it up for 'destiny' that maybe they shouldn't go anyway. Adios!

Expat and the City said...

Hahaha! Your post picture is much better than mine.

Chirp said...

Dealing with the Kuwaiti Embassy while studying in the States was HELL! They were late on their tuition payments most semesters, causing the school to drop my classes and put a hold on my account. And in a school with 50,000+ students trying to register for class after the registration time was over was HELL!

They never knew anything. My first year of university I was in the UAE, then I transferred to the states and got a merit scholarship. In the middle of my last semester of my third year in the states (my fourth year as a college student) the person in charge of my paperwork in the embassy called me and told me that I had to graduate that semester or they would take away my scholarship, because I had previously taken college classes, so my scholarship was only for 3 years instead of four.
Of course I got into a fight with her but thank God I had already finished all the required credits for graduation (YAY Nerd!)and ended up graduating during summer.
After coming back to Kuawit I found a document that they had sent saying my scholarship was from 2003-2007, she made me graduate a year early.
7 years later I am still pissed off!!

Anonymous said...

LMAO! Expecting the Kuwaiti Embassy to answer the phone... Keep waiting and hoping!

PS: Btw, some of the deported expatriates from Kuwait can only hope for such treatment. SMDH