The Washington Post ran a story Monday about Rashad Bukhari. Mr. Bukhari, an editor at Search for Common Ground, recently tried to return to the United States following a visit to his native Pakistan. The Search for Common Ground is a “Washington-based nonprofit organization that works to find peaceful solutions to conflict around the world.” Mr. Bukhari’s is the Urdu-language editor of the Common Ground News Service -a service “whose goal is to build bridges between the Muslim world and the West.”
Without going into detail, Mr. Bukhari was denied entry by an immigration officer who gave him two options: accept the immigration officer’s decision and “voluntarily depart,” or appeal the decision and risk incurring a five year bar from entering the United States. Faced with such a high risk, Mr. Bukhari returned to Pakistan.
I cannot criticize the immigration officer’s decision – I do not know the exact facts. But what concerns me is that too often the immigration process creates impersonal situations that leave individuals without explanations or an exact understanding of why they are denied certain immigration benefits. Although Mr. Bukhari’s story is personal – it is indicative of the immigration process in general. Mr. Bukhari is quoted as stating, “I prefer to go where I am welcome.” Without a clear immigration policy the United States risks appearing unwelcoming and creates bureaucratic barriers between it and the rest of the world.
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