I’m in Houston waiting for my flight to San Diego. Right after I got off the plane, while I was on the jet bridge, a customs guy stops me:
- Sir, where are you coming from?
- Panama (I feel like he should know that)
- What were you doing in Panama?
- Visiting my mom.
- For how long where you there?
- 9 days
- What’s your profession?
- I’m a student
- Who paid for your ticket to Panama?
- I paid for it.
- how did you pay for your ticket? What’s your profession?
OK, this is getting annoying now… My ears are still buzzing from the airplane flight and this guy is asking me repetitive questions… so I tell him once again…. slowly this time
- STUDENT
Figure it out buddy… Students some times work, they get student loans, they get money from their parents, etc.
He wrote something on my customs sheet. It read BCC and some other three letters I couldn’t make out… Now what was that about? I was pretty sure those letters meant something pretty important. Somewhere down the line before I get to baggage claim I’m going to be asked more questions…
Passing through Immigration… Check
I’m on my way to Baggage claim, but then… a security guy asks for my customs paper again.
- Where are you coming from? Where are you going?
Same questions all over again. Is this really necessary?
This time he only asks two questions and I’m off. But I had to ask him something, I’ve been asked twice already and I don’t know why:
- How come you are only stopping black people today?
I noticed that while I was waiting for my luggage, two black girls were stopped and another black guy. Those are all the people they stopped. Those were almost all the black people waiting for luggage.
- I beg your pardon sir?
I repeated my question exactly the same way. No attitude, just an honest question looking for an honest answer. You can tell I caught him off guard. Both times I asked the question while looking at him directly in the eyes and without hesitating. It was unexpected.
- I’m sorry sir (he stutters a bit), I’m starting to have a problem with you, what was that question again?
He rests his hand on his pistol like all police officers do when they want to feel in power.
Quick thought: I got a plane to catch and if I’m detained because of this guy, I may not get on it on time…
- Oh nothing, don’t worry about it.
- Alright sir.
I turn in my customs paper, I get my luggage, I think I made it.
Now the customs officer I gave the sheet to:
- Oh, sir, please go through that door on your left and follow the green arrow.
She puts my customs sheet on a purple folder and gives it back to me.
I knew it, it was those letters the first guy wrote on my customs sheet. As I enter, I look around the room and there is about 10 passengers from different flights, I suppose. One white lady and another old white man, the rest are blacks and hispanics. I had to notice it because in a country where 60% are white, the probability theory tells me that there should be a higher amount of white people. At least that’s what I understood from my Statistics class.
Now most of the people have blue folders, I got a purple one… Shit, that first guy made me extra special. He must have not liked it when I made him look stupid when I said “student” slowly.
The officer that attended to me was actually nice. He asked me the same questions all over again, except when I told him I was in Panama he asked me where abouts.
- Albrook, I said.
- Oh that’s a nice area, big and expensive houses around there.
- …
- I’ve been to the Albrook airport in Panama a few times.
- So what is all this about? Random checking?
- Yeah, nothing to worry about, he said.
He scans my luggage with the x-ray machine then asks:
- What’s that round thing you have in your luggage?
He points at my friend Lange’s luggage. I’m doing him a favor of flying it to San Diego and shipping it from there cause its cheaper.
- I don’t know, its my friend’s suitcase.
- You should never take things from friends if you don’t know what they are.
He’s right, but the truth is I forgot what it was. Any answer I was going to give him would have been stupid. So I just spit one out.
- I know, I said. He’s a good friend. I know him well.
Open the luggage, rip the newspaper wrap, uncover the round object… It was a cup.
- Alright dude, have a good one.
- Alright man, you too.
I was walking to my gate, the loud speakers at the airport come off.
“Any remarks or jokes to security may result in your arrest…”
Ooops. Well I don’t opose security, but if I want to know where all the questions are coming from, I think I deserve an answer. An honest answer.
