The View From Here

Let's Talk Immigration

I have lived for the last three years in a country where the immigration laws are fairly simple, straight forward, and benign - although they do vary somewhat by your country of origin.  When an American enters the country, whether at an airport, a seaport or a border crossing, the Immigration officials scan your passport into the computer, check for any 'irregularities' in their historical data base and then stamp your passport.  You are now good to travel anywhere in the country, at any time, for the next 90 days.  Then you have to leave the country for 72 hours, at which point you can return for an additional 90 days.  This cycle can be repeated indefinitely. U.S. citizens are not required to carry their passport at all times, but are required to carry a photocopy of the passport cover page (the one with the photo), and the page that shows the dated immigration stamp.

Nice right?  Sure is.  Now what do I NOT get from our friendly allies here in the nation of Panama? I don't get health care, unemployment or any other government support.  And, if I go to a hospital emergency room, and I can't prove upfront that I can pay the bill, I turn over my passport to them.  Therefore, I am not going far until the bill is payed.

Spanish is the national language, period - and no one really cares what my 2nd language is, or what kind of problem the language requirement cause me.  You want a driver's license?  Better bone up because the test is in Spanish.  So are most government documents and directions. (Thank God for bilingual ATM machine!) You need some official documents from the U.S.?  Make sure they are certified by the right U.S. official and properly notarized (The government directions are very specific, albeit in Spanish). And then be prepared to cough up the $$s to have them translated into Spanish and the 'new' copies notarized properly on this end.

There are some English speaking schools but they were established years ago for Panamanian children and are not targeted for immigrants. There are waiting lists. And there are no special courses for immigrants struggling with the Panamanian school.

Regardless of my status in Panama (even if I go to the trouble and expense of becoming a resident), I can not work in Panama.  To even open a bank account, I will need a letter of reference from my bank in the U.S., a current credit report and a letter of reference from a Panamanian citizen, all of which have to be properly notarized.

There is an immigration checkpoint on the Pan American highway three miles from the border (on both the Panama and Costa Rica side).  If they stop your bus coming from the border (which they do about 50 % of the time), does the immigration officer who gets on the bus check everyone's status?  No, he checks the papers of the obvious foreigners- the obvious tourists!  And, guess what happened when there was a big hoop-de-do a few months ago about some U.S. tourist not leaving every 90 days (some were choosing instead to pay the $50 fine when they did leave).  They immigration officials and police officers started stopping gringos on the street checking passports. Just because they looked like they might be Americans. Profiling?  No, common sense!  Duh!

They also changed the laws covering people who don't abide by the law.  Now you face deportation.  Just like if you break any other Panamanian law.  Anything short of a major felony, Panama just deports you.  And, if you are a 'world traveler' type, that is serious.  Panama has reciprocal agreements with 30-some other countries.  Get deported from any of them and you can't enter any of the others - ever!

I wish you could all have been here in Panama when this Arizona immigration law blew up.  You should have seen the reactions of Panamanians to the remarks by Mexican President Cauldron to the U.S. Congress.  Why?  Well, illegal immigrants to the U.S. from Central Americans don't come through Ellis Island - they have to transit Mexico.  And Mexico's treatment of illegals from Central Americans captured in Mexico is historically disgraceful.  Until just recently, illegals caught in Mexico were automatically felons, headed straight to the infamous Mexican prison system.

I recommend two things should happen:

1. Cauldon should go home and address HIScongress and get a law passed to match the U.S. dollar-for-dollar in building the border fence.  Then Mexico should assume responsibility for keeping Mexicans in Mexico.   (And Cauldon can take all the standing, cheering U.S. Democratic congressmen with him to continue their cheer-leading duties there in Mexico)

2. The U.S. will then take responsibility to stop the movement of weapons to Mexico.  Then Obama can see that a law gets passed that  makes it illegal for people in the U.S. to send money from the U.S. to Mexican citizens, and shuts-down all the conduits (Western Union, etc.) that accommodates that traffic.  (Cauldron may have a different view of illegal immigration when his economy is not being pumped up by a reported $1 billion a year.)

Then Obama should issue an executive order that would require that all government officials should be required to read a bill before they comment on it.  That would save the embarrassment of high rankin officials screaming incorrectly about the Arizona law's profiling potential.  It also might cause them to read the similar federal law, the law that directs DEA and Immigration officers' actions - a law that outlines procedures allowing stops of people basically based on racial profiles.

By the way, Homeland Security now reports a large influx of OTM coming through the border illegally in recent months.  OTM?  Their term for ´other than Mexicans´.  Big influx of people from places like Somalia and Yemen. Hmm.  You know, the Al Queda breeding groumds. Suppose the ´No-Fly List´will become even more worthless?

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida