INTERROGATION AT US BORDER

pradeep ppillai at sprint.ca
Tue Feb 26 02:36:03 PST 2002



>
> > INTERROGATION AT US BORDER
> >
> > My name is John Clarke and I am an Organizer with the Ontario
Coalition
> > Against Poverty (OCAP). In the early afternoon of February 19th,
2002, I
> > crossed the international bridge between Sarnia, Ontario and Port
Huron,
> > Michigan. I was on my way to a speaking engagement that had been
set up
> >by
> > students at Michigan State University.
> >
> > When I pulled up my car at the customs booth, the officer asked
where I
> >was
> > bound and I told him. He wanted to know on what basis I was asked
to
> >speak
> > and whether I would be paid. I replied that I was with OCAP and
that I
> >had
> > been told by the organizers of the meeting that an honourarium
would be
> > provided as was normal. The officer was concerned that this meant I
was
> > coming into the US to work. Of course, people on both sides of the
border
> > accept speaking invitations all the time on this basis and the
issue of a
> > work permit is never raised. At this point, the matter was nothing
that
> > could not have been rapidly cleared up if I had been on my way to
address
> >a
> > business seminar or deliver a lecture on self awareness.
> >
> >As instructed by the officer, I parked my car and made my way into
the
> >offices shared by customs and US Immigration. As soon as my ID was
run
> >through the computer, there was a marked change in the situation. An
> >officer asked me more questions about my intentions in the US, what
anti
> >globalization protests I had attended and whether I opposed the
'ideology
> >of the United States'. My car was searched and I was taken into a
room and
> >thoroughly (though not roughly) frisked. I was then told that I would
be
> >denied entry to the US and that the FBI and State Department wanted
to
> >speak to me. Agents were on their way from Detroit I was told.
> >
> >After about an hour and a half, a man entered the 'controlled
reception'
> >area that I was being kept in and passed by me into the inner
offices. He
> >was carrying a big folder and a pile of files. It struck me that he
carried
> >them the way a highly skilled worker might carry his or her precision


> >tools. He spent some time in discussion with the local officers and
then I
> >was brought into an interrogation room to deal with him. He
introduced
> >himself and gave me his card. His name was Edward J. Seitz of the
State
> >Department of the United States Diplomatic Security Service and his
rank
> >was Special Agent. I found him to be an impressive and fascinating
> >character.
> >
> >Seitz, with the backing of another local officer, interrogated me for
some
> >considerable time. It was not a situation like an arrest by Canadian
police
> >where silence is the best option. Had I refused to talk to him, I did
not
> >doubt that he would order me detained and that it would be some time
before
> >the Canadian consular authorities came into the picture. If I was to
avoid
> >at least several days in detention, I determined that I had no option
but
> >to answer his questions. It was immediately obvious to me that I was
> >dealing with a specialist in interrogation methods. He told the
admiring
> >locals at one point that he had been stationed in Yemen and I avoided


> >speculating on how he had employed his talents there.
> >
> >Seitz's basic strategy, apart from general intelligence gathering,
was to
> >try and set me up to tell him something false that would place me in
the
> >situation of violating US law. He began with some very basic
questions on
> >my personal background, extremely affable in his manner and striking
a pose
> >of mild confusion that was designed to make me underestimate him.
> >
> >He then asked about OCAP. He told me it sounded like we were good
people
> >but he had heard something about an organization that a year or so
before
> >had been involved in a confrontation with the police at the Ontario
> >Legislature. That wasn't us was it? The trap was clear and I told him
that
> >we were indeed that organization. His affable manner then vanished
and his
> >difficulties in focusing his thoughts ended.
> >
> >He gradually moved his chair over so we were right up against each
other
> >and fired questions at me. He wanted to know about the June 15, 2000
March
> >on the Ontario Legislature where the Toronto police attacked a march
> >against homelessness that we had organized. He wanted to know about
charges
> >that the police have laid against me. He wanted to know how OCAP is
> >structured and who are the members of its elected executive committee


> >(which I refused to tell him).
> >
> >Seitz then took up the question of OCAP's friends and allies in the
US. Are
> >we involved in anti globalization work. Isn't this a cover for
anarchism?
> >Was I personally an anarchist or a socialist? (In the interests of
anti
> >capitalist unity, I won't say which one of these I acknowledged I
was).
> >Seitz had a huge file on OCAP with him that included leaflets from
public
> >speaking events I had been at in the US. He knew the name of the man
I
> >stayed with the last time I was in Chicago. He wanted to know who I
spoke
> >to in the Chicago Direct Action Network. He claimed that I was an
advocate
> >of violence and that my association with DAN showed this but (in a
rare
> >stumble) could find nothing in their literature that proved that they
call
> >for violence.
> >
> >This phase of the questioning went on for a long time. He covered a
great
> >deal of ground and had at his disposal voluminous information on us.
He,
> >obviously, had been in contact with the Canadian police but was most
> >interested on our US allies. The exception was an enormous interest
in
> >Canadian anti capitalist activist, Jaggi Singh. He knew that he and I
had
> >spoken at the same meetings and was most anxious to find out if he
was also
> >in the US. He showed me a picture of Jaggi and wanted to know where
he was
> >at that moment.
> >
> >Suddenly, the mask of affability went back on. I was a 'gentleman'
and he
> >didn't want to lock me up. I was ok but he couldn't understand how I
worked
> >with a 'violent man like Mr. Singh'. Then he told me he would have to
ban
> >me from the US but I could go to the US Consulate in Toronto and
apply for
> >a waiver. I could just take a seat in the waiting room while they
prepared
> >some paper work but I would soon be on my way. I had not been sitting
out
> >there long, however, before the Special Agent came out to try a new
tack
> >that I had heard of in the past.
> >
> >Essentially, his plan was to make me think he was utterly mad and,
thereby,
> >rattle me to the point where I lost my judgement. I assume the method
works
> >better if it is used after serious sleep deprivation. He came over
and sat
> >next to me right there in the waiting area with other people around.
He had
> >a few OCAP cheques that he asserted showed I was bringing with me the
means
> >to live illegally in the US. I was going to jail, he asserted. I
explained
> >that the cheques were in my bag because I always kept a few with me
to
> >cover the cost of office supplies and suchlike and that I had seen no


> >reason to take them out just because I was going to spend a few hours
in
> >Michigan.
> >
> >Then came the most astounding part of the whole interrogation. Out of
the
> >blue, Seitz demanded to know where Osama Bin Laden was hiding. I knew
were
> >he was, he insisted. If I grew a beard I would look like Bin Laden. I
was
> >holding back on telling him why I was going to the university and who
I was
> >going to meet there. If I didn't want to go to jail, it was time to
tell
> >him the real story. I replied that I had been quite open with him
about my
> >intentions and that sending me to jail was now up to him. He laughed,
told
> >me there were no problems. I could go home after all. Did I drink tea
of
> >coffee? Would I have a coffee with him if he came up to Toronto. I
told him
> >I would, which was the only lie I told that day, and he gathered up
his
> >files and left.
> >
> >Shortly after this, the local officials gave me the free ticket for
the
> >bridge which is the only perk that comes along with being denied
entry to
> >the US and, a little over five hours after coming over, I headed back
to
> >the Canadian side.
> >
> >=========================
> >
> >
> >
> > This is the Toronto Email List
> > http://toronto.tao.ca
> >
> > For help goto http://lists.tao.ca
> >



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