fauxstor.net
sporadic web manipulationNovember 26, 2005
Keep H-U-C-K in the U.S.A
After 9 months of non-blogging, what could possibly bring me out of retirement, with all the cash rolling in from non-blogging micropayments? A rather grave situation, I am afraid. A close personal friend of mine, about whom I have made several postings, faces a serious threat of deportation.
Huck Gee, a British national and well-known artist, took a business trip to Japan and Hong Kong several months ago. Upon his return, he was detained and questioned by sundry G-men. At the end of the interrogation, he had been scheduled for another "interview" in a few weeks. That interview concluded with him being slated for "removal". At his hearing on the 23rd of November, he was granted a 90-day extension. Hopefully this will give him sufficient time to mount his legal defense.
Non-citizens who are lawful permanent residents are being intercepted upon returning from vacations and from travel abroad. The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection runs computerized checks on those returning to the U.S. in order to determine if they have any criminal histories. When they get a hit, they are placed in exclusion or deportation proceedings.
It appears that there are essentially two pathways for foreign citizens with legal resident status who have received a felony conviction in this country:
- Commit a crime, serve your time, get out of jail, commit a crime, serve your time, get out of jail, commit a crime, serve your time, get out of jail, commit a crime, serve your time, die in jail.
- Commit a crime, serve your time, get out of jail, become a productive member of society who is respected and loved by the community. Now get the fuck out.
Yes, let's throw away the success stories. What, rehabilitated? Did you forget that we don't believe in that here? Let's just ship anyone who has ever committed a crime off to an island like Australia, and we can call it something along the lines of, err, "Australia".
I, for one, want to keep Huck's felonious ass in the country. However, it will take the usual in order to accomplish this: a lawyer. Which will cost the usual: a lot. Or, at least, more money than is currently available. This Friday, December 2nd, we are having a fundraising event for Huck Gee in San Francisco. Please come out and show your support for Huck, and help stop our government's xenophobic Gestapo tactics.
You can read all of his story at savehuck.com.