This news made it to the headlines of tabloids in Finland today. Nice PR for USA :Smug:
What the musicians said, it wasn't the fact they were taken to further investigation at the airport, it happens everywhere, but the way they were treated like criminals caught at sight. Officials shouting "you have no rights", "shut up", "you're a liar" right at their faces, pushing them to confess that they were there on illegal purpose whatever might be and threatening to send them back when they refused to answer (first given the choises only say "yes" or "no" and shouted at again when trying to defend themselves).
Lots of similar experiences at many US airports are told on the tabloids' discussion boards today. All the stories seem to have the common factor how the officials treat people like scum, arrogantly expect everyone knowing English, (well, most Europeans do, but most of the US officials don't know a single foreign language, interpreters hardly ever available even at the biggest airpots) and start accusing arrivals of some bizarre violations against rules, regulations, missing documents or whatever and demanding to "confess" the imaginary violation.
A german lady told at Nightwish msg-board how she was questioned at Chicago airport last week when she flew over to see two Nw concerts at Detroit and Chicago: The immigration didn't want to believe that anyone would come to see two concerts of the same band and accused her a liar for half an hour before letting her go.
Like with her, most times the immigration seem suddenly give up after a while without any explanation and let people go, but definitely will never apologize their rude and meanigless behaviour. Nobody really seem to understand why the show must be made up for nothing. Are the officials just frustrated or do they have to show their superiors that they are doing an efficient job?
And before anyone jumps at me, these things are not unique to the US immirgation, it happens almost everywhere to an extent, but when the "Land of the Free" seem to go paranoid within a short period of time, it makes everyone wonder what's up with their future...
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