German To English Translation
Due to an authority error came in New York living Germans into the mills of the US immigration and brutal justice. The consequence: an odyssey, with which the young nut/mother was treated like a criminal one. The night in a pushing away cell - with its baby - was there only the beginning.
Marc Pitzke
Antje Croton, married man Chris and baby Clara: Sense and nonsense of the terror protection
New York - Antje Croton slept correctly for four weeks no longer. Each night has it nightmares, which differ hardly still from the surrealen nightmare, which their existence since Christmas became. "I feel as in the wrong film", say the German, which lives for five years in Brooklyn. A horror film, in order to exactly say it, - with the difference that it is reality.
Crotons history is a parabola over the US terror defense, bureaucracy and beamtete feeling cold weather, over the powerlessness in relation to a state apparatus. Above all however it is the history of a young German in America, whose life was thrown over night completely from the course.
Everything began so merrily: Croton, 36, wanted to present its again born daughter Clara to proud grandparents. In addition it traveled in the December of New York to Berlin, baby in the dragging rope. It booked their return flight in such a way that it at its birthday, which would be 22 December, again at home with its American man Chris in Brooklyn, which it had married 1999.
Bad surprise at the airport
Instead it landed in pushing away detention.
The ten-hour return flight was already a torture. "with a three months old baby, without company, in a close machine - pure suicide", remembers Croton in the discussion with MIRROR ON-LINE ONE. But the really bad surprise came only: To New Yorker Kennedy airport held a civil servant of the US Ministry for internal security the completely overtired woman. The reason: Their entry permit ran off.
Croton was astonished first only mild ones. There it must errs, laughed it: It specially still examined its papers before the journey.
In addition the ex-Berlinerin had itself - which lives with a work visa in the USA - in October even still personally to the New Yorker branch office of the immigration authority IN endeavors. Because because of its for two years pending request for a Green Card may do it, as all immigrants in the stand-by, which only by special permission leaves country, and then also only in special case of hardness.
"no concern", had however insured it a In lady: Their travel permission, in July 2003 run off, continues to apply still until April 2004. That can be done out of an extension stamp resembles date out, which the paper carried. "you can travel without concern."
Kafkaeske odyssey
A fatal error. Crotons travel permission is invalid since July, persisted the immigration officers at the airport. The stamp does not mean extension, "in such a way which gibt's not". It was gotten with an illegal entry attempt and must return with the next flier "home".
"New York is mine at home", said Croton, half disbelievingly, half frightened. This is a misunderstanding, their man waits in arrival-resounds and can everything up clear, in addition she must satisfy their daughter. There, the Grenzschuetzer, her did not answer anything was "the mouth to times beautifully hold".
Croton is not an individual case. At citizen right and groups of immigrants the complaints mehren themselves over similar problems - a consequence of the intensified US border controls since 11 September 2001, which also ever more innocent one falls to the victim. "- our foremost front", Maura Harty, a department chief in the State department called visas, recently a lecture: Border controls are the best "forward defense" against "terrorists and criminal ones".
Like a Terroristin the blond woman with the lively, blue eyes "was cross-examined" thus including baby in a secondary room of far - to two o'clock early, at the night to her birthday. At the time it was long a nerve wreck: It cried to satisfy tried Clara flehte in vain, to be allowed to call Chris which waited still. She heard again and again to get: "we set you on the next machine back to Germany."
Slowly it dawned Croton that its misfortune developed to the kafkaesken odyssey, which had only begun straight.
Lifelong entry prohibition
Finally they transported the officials in the middle at the night the terminal 4 cast-off by the international arrival terminal 1 to - over the rollfeld, "as in a crime film". There Croton with baby in an overcrowded, neon-bright pushing away detention cell landed. Under their approximately a dozen of Mitinsassen: presumed weapon smugglers and a woman, who had been gotten with drugs. "many were in handcuffs and in foot chains."
Crotons rage yielded bright despair: "I was, I so in disorder could not times more my names spell." It asked to be allowed to lie down. But an officer started it: "hear on to howl." Only one airport woman employee pitied and brought their three diapers for Clara.
On the early morning it had to tell of border guards everything again from the front to a new group. Again their explanations discovered deaf ears: "went to those left purely and right raus." For the former GDR citizen that woke bad memories: "bad as in the east."
The border guardians offered a compromise to her: If she buys a return flight ticket on the spot to Berlin, dated within the next 30 days, it may pack their things at least after Brooklyn and. It must realize itself however that it offended against a US law and from now to lifelong entry prohibition has. Visa, Green Card, "everything futsch", says it.
"case finally"
Exhausted Croton consented. 24 hours after their arrival it fell Chris crying into the arms. And thus the second act of their erring travel began. Croton had 30 days time to clear the authority mistake up - or their life in the USA was to end.
After the Silvester holidays Croton opened itself again to the New Yorker In branch. It met the same woman official, who had given at that time green light to the Berlin Trip. "when my travel permission runs off?", Croton asked, it again a copy of the document reproaching. The answer: "in April 2004." Croton could hardly believe it: "I gekriegt nearly a cardiac infarct."
After some back and forth it was again home sent unfinished things. "for those the case was final", says Croton.
For Croton was a disaster. She had come before five years to New York, in order to arrange as a woman employee that Hamburg TV Produktionsfirma Lighthouse Productions searches and interview. Then she had learned Chris to know, had married, Clara to get. After the birth it started its own Business: Over a Website it sells made handbags from Thai silk.
Croton loves the USA, in its own, critical way. On their Website publishes it sentimental-poetic diary notes over its experiences in the new homeland ("reflections"). It writes the ladies over the summer "hammocks and flea markets" from Connecticut and behind the switch of its post office in park Slope, whose rule severity reminds it somehow also of "the moral abuse" of the GDR.
Humanitarian indulgence
A reminiscence, which meets it now, in form of the public authority IN, fully in the heart. "I feel so unfairly treated", say her. "why am I the errors other out spoons?"
But movement comes now into the case. Crotons of friends in Brooklyn organized a rescue action. They organized a letter to the IN written, which alarm "New York Times", a discussion date with the democratic congressional representative Chuck Schumer. As Nina amber to place a Reporterin the "New York Times" at the airport questions began, frightened the responsible persons finally up.
In the Tuesday evening Croton got a call: A representative of the US Ministry for internal security explained it, it was allowed to remain over a special arrangement in the country - "from humanitarian considerations". On 18 February then it is to be decided on an appointment hearing whether its request for a Green Card may keep running or whether it must again begin the whole procedure. That would fall it again into the legal Twilight zone of the liking gladly Americans. "still times two years wait?", she asks herself exhausted. "still times two years long do not travel and my parents to see can?"
Croton hopes now only times for "the first friedvolle night". Perhaps it lets its ambitions on US nationality fall also completely, "a good question, those I still at all did not place itself". Meanwhile it found at least a new occupation. It finished black t-Shirts with handpainted label on: "Free Antje & Clara".
