BERNA CRUZ - Supplement 2.
For supplement 1 go to http://www.goanvoice.org.uk/newsletter/2003/Feb/issue3/supp1/BernaCruz.html

Contents:
1. World Net Daily. 21 Mar. 2003. US Government officials deny wrongdoing.
2. US Congressman Joseph Crowley writes Secretary Ridge expresses outrage. 11 Mar. 2003.
3 Text of letter written by Berna Cruz to the Canadian Prime Minister. 10 Feb., 2003.
4. Some recent Press reports currently archived.
5. Other Press Reports.

Friday, 21 March, 2003.
US Government officials deny wrongdoing.
By Paul Sperry

WASHINGTON -- Homeland security officials cite several discrepancies in the story of an Indian-Canadian woman who claims she suffered "abuse" and "discrimination" at the hands of immigration inspectors at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

The case has attracted international media attention, and has created a small firestorm here after several U.S. lawmakers demanded an apology from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

Berna Cruz complained to the Canadian media and government that federal immigration officers at O'Hare threatened to jail her after accusing her of trying to enter the U.S. from India on a fake Canadian passport. She insists the document was not forged or tampered with in any way.

Cruz arrived Jan. 27 on Kuwait Airways Flight 115, but was put on the next flight back to Kuwait City, where she had stopped over from India. She says she suffered mental anguish and almost lost her job while trying to return to her home in Toronto. She returned in three days.

Rep. Joseph Crowley, who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, took up Cruz's case.

"She was threatened with being placed in jail if she did not admit to carrying a fake passport," the New York Democrat said in a March 10 letter to Ridge. Ten other Democrats signed the letter.

"We request a full investigation" into what Crowley termed a serious "mistake" that was based on a "person's skin color," essentially agreeing with Cruz's allegation that she was a victim of "total discrimination, racism."

But homeland security officials insist race had nothing to do with the decision to remove her from the country.

"Color of skin is not the issue," an official said. "The issue at hand was the document."

He says Cruz's passport had been "altered" and that she was summarily fingerprinted and removed from the U.S. as required by law.

"What she perceives as abuse was mistaken for her own malfeasance in attempting to enter with an altered document," he said.

One official says the tampering could be seen with the naked eye.

"It was what we call a '50-footer,'" he said. "Even a trainee inspector could see the passport had been altered from 50 feet away."

Cruz contends inspectors merely said her passport looked "funky," and threatened to throw her in jail.

But officials say she was only advised to get on the next flight back to Kuwait or she would have to be detained at a local INS holding facility until another Kuwait Airways flight was available three days later.

Cruz's story breaks down in other areas, too, officials argue.

She claimed to be brought to tears by the inspectors' "abuse," and says she was refused repeated requests to speak to Canadian authorities. Officials maintain that, on the contrary, she was calm and collected throughout the processing period, and at no time asked to speak with Canadian officials.

More, Cruz said that a Kuwait Airways pilot sympathized with her plight, gave her back her passport and assisted her in getting back home. In fact, it was a flight attendant, not a pilot, officials say.

She also claimed her passport was never a problem in U.S. entries on previous trips to Boston, New York and Spain. But officials say they found no such entries stamped in her passport.

Although federal immigration inspectors wear a name tag on the right breast pocket of their uniform, Cruz was unable to offer names of the inspectors who allegedly abused her and discriminated against her.

"The officers treated her with respect and dignity," asserted a U.S. official. "There were no errors made in this case."

Monday, 3 March, 2003.
Congressman Crowley Leads Letter to Secretary Ridge Expressing Outrage at Indian-Canadian Berna Cruz
http://crowley.house.gov/news/record.asp?id=296

US Customs officials stopped Ms. Cruz when she was transiting Chicago- O’Hare Airport on her way to Canada from a trip to India. At the airport, US Customs officials accused Ms. Cruz of using a fake passport. Instead of verifying her passport, the US Customs officials gave her two options, either to go to jail and wait several days to contact the Canadian consulate or to return to India.

“I don’t know what is more outrageous that US Customs officials did not recognize Ms. Cruz’s Canadian passport as legitimate or the way they treated her as a enemy of the state when she was just trying to return home. The role of the United States Customs Service is to protect American ports of entry and to provide exceptional customer service without bias. Ms. Cruz’s experience was not only unprofessional but also degrading. Errors were made at every step of the way, and no one displayed any leadership to stop what went from a bad situation to worse. We demand that Secretary Ridge not only apologize to Ms. Cruz, but that the Secretary institute a new system of training so that this never happens again,” said Congressman Joseph Crowley.

Congressman Joseph Crowley, the newly elected chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans drafted a letter which gained the support of both old and new friends to the Indian American community. Signers included: Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D- IL), Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Congressman Jim McDermott (D- WA), Congressman Chris Bell (D-TX), Congressman Brad Miller (D-NC) and Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA).

“Canada is a good friend of the United States and an active supporter of the US in the war on terrorism. Canada is also a multi-cultural society, just like the United States. Just because someone may not fit the mold of what a certain official thinks is a “typical” Canadian citizen, they do not deserve to be treated this way. It is amazing that while we have signed a free trade agreement with Canada, that a citizen of Canada could be treated this way and that an American Customs official could be so naïve to question the legitimacy of a legally issued Canadian passport,” said Congressman Crowley.

Berna Cruz's letter to the Canadian Prime Minister
(From GoaNet posting by Edgar Furtado)

10 February, 2003
The Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien, JC, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister,

Re: Undue harassment of a Canadian Citizen by the United States INS officials.

I am writing to express my agony and frustration having been unduly harassed as a Canadian Citizen, by some arrogant and incompetent officials of the United States INS. Not only have these INS officials humiliated me but also our nation. Following is a brief history of the case:

1)I immigrated to Canada from India on 04 September 1994.

2)I acquired Canadian citizenship along with my 2 children on 28 January 1999. (Copy of the citizenship certificate number 6819627 is marked as annexure 1)

3)On January 2, 2003, I left for India to visit my parents via American Airlines flight AA 1235 to Chicago, and onwards to Kuwait by Kuwait Airways flight KU 116 and once again onwards to New Delhi via flight KU 381. I passed through the US immigration and customs authorities at Toronto airport without incident.

4)On my way back to Canada, I left India on 26 January 2003 by Kuwait Airways flight KU 366 from the city of Trivandrum in India to Kuwait and then onwards to
Chicago by Kuwait Airways flight KU 115.

5)From Chicago, I was to travel back to Toronto by American Airlines flight AA 798 from Chicago to Toronto.

6)I landed in Chicago around 1945 hrs. on 26 January 2003.

And that is when my harrowing experience began.

7)As per procedure, I was to claim my 2 checked-in bags, pass through U.S. immigration and customs prior to boarding my flight AA 798 to Toronto. As I approached the INS counter, there was another young lady before me, who was being questioned by the officer at the counter. Since that lady was unable to converse appropriately in English, the INS officer called an interpreter and I overheard that she was from Punjab, in India. I could see that the INS officials were clearly harassing the lady. Soon after, they escorted that lady elsewhere.

8)It was now my turn and I proceeded to the counter. The INS officer (by name Mr. Jonathan T. Cichy, since he has signed the Notice and Order of Expedited Removal) immediately began suspecting that I was travelling on a forged Canadian passport. He looked at my photo in my Canadian passport No. VH480074, and stated that it was a 'funky' picture, and it was not mine. (copy of my passport number VH480074 is marked as annexure 2) I clearly stated that the photo in the passport was indeed mine. Mr. Cichy insisted that the photo in the passport was not mine, and that I was travelling on a forged passport. He raised the passport to the overhead lights on the ceiling and began checking each page, and announced that there were traces of 'chemical' on the pages. He then called one of his associates. Soon about 4 or 5 INS officials gathered around me and began harassing me and trying to make me 'confess' that I was travelling on a forged Canadian Passport. I refused to submit to their harassment. Mr Cichy then began resorting to verbal abuses, and called me' stupid lady'. To this his colleague mockingly said to Mr. Cichy, quote " Don't call her a stupid lady, she eagerly wants to be a Canadian Citizen" To this, a 3rd INS official said, quote " Where is the lady who wants to be a Canadian, please come forward". When I stepped forward, the same official said, quote " You better tell us the truth, how much did you pay for this passport? Did you travel from India to Sri Lanka to buy the passport? Did you pay in US $ or in Indian currency?" I once again reiterated that it was my passport, and it was indeed a genuine Canadian passport. One of the INS officers then said, quote "Aren't you smart choosing a Spanish name?" To this I told them that my maiden family name was Fernandez, and that Cruz was my last name after marriage. They kept on hurling verbal abuses and told me that if I did not admit that I was travelling on a forged Canadian passport, they would throw me in jail. At that point in time, I suggested that they should call the Canadian authorities to verify my status. They refused to contact the Canadian authorities and they stated that since I was not a Canadian citizen, they did not have to do that. I requested that I might be allowed to speak to some Canadian officials. They refused my plea. Mr. Cichy said that if I wished to speak to some Canadian officials, he would first throw me in jail for 3 days and then I could sit and talk to the Canadian officials as much as I desired.

After the above harassment, it was not the end. They escorted me to another room and once again began questioning me as to, quote "when did you immigrate to the so-called Canada?". "How many kids do you have?". "Are you fearful of someone back home and is that why you left India?" I then asked them as to what made them think that my passport was a forged one?. To this Mr. Cichy stated that there were chemicals on my passport and just by looking at the passport, and feeling the pages, it appears that he was able to verify that my passport was a forged one.

I did not know what to do and out of desperation, I told them that as a good Christian, I would swear on the Holy Bible to state that I was indeed a Canadian Citizen. To this Mr. Cichy said, quote " Just shut your mouth and don't swear on the bible or else the lightning would strike you." By now I was in tears and desperate for some solution and relief from the ongoing mental torture. At this point, a lady came into the office, who appeared to be an airline staff, and she asked me as to how much money I had on me. I told her that I had approximately US$100. (One hundred dollars only) At that time, I opened my purse to show them the above amount, and I offered to show them my Ontario drivers license, credit card, debit card, a copy of my baptism certificate, provincial health card and also a letter from my employers, Royal Bank, which I coincidentally had on me, stating my income. Mr. Cichy refused to even look at the documents. I appealed to Mr. Cichy to contact some Canadian officials, since I had to report to work the next morning at Royal Bank, where I am employed. I also told them that my children were in Canada and I needed to get back as they needed me too. To this Mr. Cichy rudely responded, "Come on you slow poach, you better answer the questions quickly because the next flight leaves in 10 minutes." I asked him which flight he was referring to. To this he shouted, " Shut up or else I will throw you in jail". I was terrified at the treatment being meted out to me and was desperate for help, which did not come from any quarters. It was then that I realized that I was being forced to go back to India. I pleaded with them not to do so, but to contact the Canadian authorities. I told them to hand over my passport to the crew of the flight that was to take me to Toronto, and that I could be escorted at Toronto by the Canadian officials, and they could then verify my claims. At this point, Mr. Cichy said, "I will give you 2 options, either to go back to India or else you will end up in jail for not less than 3 days". I just did not know what to do. Images of people being unjustly imprisoned and their whereabouts not known, flashed through my mind and I was terrified. I did not know anyone in the USA and I was positively not going to any US prison for no fault of mine. Hence I decided to take the next Kuwait Airways flight back to India via Kuwait, since the only other option was to be thrown in jail by these ruthless and incompetent INS officials. I was exhausted since I had already travelled for more than 24 hours, including my transit time at Kuwait.

The INS officials made me sign approximately 9 pages of various documents, but I was given only 3 pages. (Copies of these 3 pages have been marked as annexure 3) Before I signed each page, I asked the INS officials what they were forcing me to sign. Each time Mr. Cichy responded by rudely saying, quote" do you want to go to jail?". I was forced to sign all the pages that were handed to me, without even a chance of reading their contents. After I was forced to sign all the pages given to me, I was photographed and Mr. Cichy told me to hurry up as my flight to Kuwait was leaving in about 5 minutes. Mr. Cichy and a lady from the airline escorted me to get my baggage. As if I had not had enough ill treatment from the INS officials, Mr. Cichy shouted at me before several other passengers, quote" Come on slow poach, walk fast. Maybe she wants to end up in jail." I was completely humiliated before a number of other people. Just before I boarded the flight, an unknown male official came and asked me if I wanted to go back to Trivandrum or some other place? I told him that I would prefer to go to New Delhi where I could approach the Canadian High Commission. A few minutes later, the same person came and told me that I would have to go back to Trivandrum, where my journey had originated. My passport was not returned to me and I was told that my passport would only be given back to me when I had paid for my fare back to India.

I boarded the flight back to India via Kuwait. Halfway through the journey, the Captain of the flight, Capt. Mohamed Abdul Hasan (as I can recall his name) came and enquired as to what had happened. I narrated the whole episode to him. Capt. Mohamed then asked me if I was aware what the INS officials had done to my passport. I told him that I had no idea. That is when he showed me my passport and told me that the INS officials had cut away the bottom right hand corner of page 2 where my photograph was affixed. The INS officials had also stamped in several areas of all the pages of my passport, with a stamp titled, Expedited Removal. I also noticed that they had affixed the above stamp even on my valid Indian visa, and this would cause me further problems with the Indian authorities when I would have landed in India.

At this point, I have to mention the commendable assistance that I received from Capt Mohamed and his crew. They went out of their way to assist me and even contacted the ground authorities in Kuwait so that I may get the necessary help from the Canadian authorities in Kuwait. This particular set of crew got off in Amsterdam,and Capt. Mohamed and his crew also apprised the next joining crew of my plight.

I landed in Kuwait around 2000 hrs local time on Monday, 27 January 2003 and my passport was handed over to the ground personnel. The airline staffs at Kuwait airport were very helpful and they contacted the Canadian Embassy. The same night I had an opportunity to speak to an official from the embassy named Ms. Bassima Dalle, and she got all the necessary information from me. She informed me that the embassy was closed at that time, and she assisted me by arranging hotel accommodation near the airport. Next morning, Tuesday, 28 January 2003, an official from the Canadian consulate in Dubai named David DeRose contacted me and told me that all the information given by me was verified by them through the Canadian authorities in Canada. He told me that it would take a day or so for them to arrange an Emergency Passport. I was advised both by Ms. Bassima Dalle and Mr. David DeRose that the actions of the US officials were totally wrong and that I could take recourse to suitable action against the erring INS officials. Meanwhile, the next day, an official from the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait named George Sanderson contacted me and verified my personal details before issuing me an Emergency Passport as well as a ticket to Canada by Kuwait Airways flight KU 101 to LHR and onwards to Toronto by Air Canada flight AC 863. I very much appreciate the assistance rendered by the Canadian officials.

After I landed back in Toronto, even the Canadian immigration officials sympathised with me and were genuinely shocked to know what had happened, and also to note the damage done to my Canadian Passport.

Meanwhile, at this point, I must mention that my agony had not ended. I was to report to work at Royal Bank on Monday, 27 January 2003. Due to the above, I reported for duty only on the 3rd February, 2003. Due to this, my employers had, and rightly so, taken some strong measures in view of my unauthorized absenteeism. My paycheque was stopped, my workstation was re-assigned to some other employee and I feared that I would loose my job. I was humiliated in this manner at my workplace; however, I do not blame my employers. For the next few days, I was facing a period of uncertainty. Even now, I know that it will be some time before my employers have restored their faith and confidence in me. My health has suffered as I continue to relive my nightmare. I have been forced to seek counselling from the professional counselors available through my workplace.

Sir, I appeal to you, to take this matter before the highest authorities in the United States Government and to ensure that other fellow Canadians are not subjected to this horrible experience at the hands of some of the incompetent, ruthless and errant

INS officials. I hope that the concerned INS officials in my case are brought to justice for undue harassment of a Canadian Citizen, by not exercising their sense of duty, conduct unbecoming that of officials of the INS and especially for not contacting the Canadian
authorities.

I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest.

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Berna Cruz

Encl. Annexures 1, 2 and 3.
Copy of an affidavit to confirm the above as true and correct.

Cc. 1) Hon. Bill Graham, PC, MP
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Lester B. Pearson Building, Tower A, 8th Floor
125 Sussex Drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0G2

2) Hon. John Mckay, Member of Parliament,
Scarborough East Constituency
4630 Kingston Road, Unit 12, Toronto ON M1E 4Z4

3) Hon. Mrs. Shashi Tripathi
Indian High Commissioner to Canada
10 Spring Field Road
Ottawa ON K1M 1C9

Some recent Press reports currently archived.

Woman accused of using phony passport
Toronto Star, Canada - 19 Mar 2003
... US Immigration and Naturalization Service officers at O'Hare Airport accused Berna Cruz of carrying a fake Canadian passport.
Click here

Not welcome here
Working for Change, CA - 6 Mar 2003
... INS has yet to explain why Berna Cruz's passport, which she says is in order, was perfectly acceptable to immigration officials in Toronto, India, and on ...
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=14606

Indian Canadian's 'racial profiling' in US sparks row
Hindustan Times, India - 4 Mar 2003
The case involves Trivandrum-born Berna Cruz, who was detained by immigration officials at Chicago'sO'Hare Airport on January 27. ...
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_204297,0005.htm

Indo-Canadian harassed at O'Hare Airport
Indian Express, India - 4 Mar 2003
Thiruvananthapuram-born Indo-Canadian Berna Cruz was stopped by Immigration officers whose suspicions were aroused because her last name was not ''Singh ...
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=19535

OTHER PRESS REPORTS

1. Woman accused of using phony passport --- Detained at Pearson airport for 5 hours Canadian citizen returning on flight from India
The Toronto Star , 19 March 2003, 798 words, (English)
Woman held at airport after flight from India A Brampton woman returning home last week from India says she was detained for five hours at Pearson airport, accused of buying a fake Canadian passport, threatened with jail, and denied access ...

2. Is your passport worth the paper? Security fears and identity fraud have the Canadian government considering computerized 'biometric' ID ...
The Globe and Mail , 15 March 2003, 1665 words, (English)
When Berna Cruz was returning home to Canada from a trip to India in late January, she was pulled aside by U.S. immigration officers at Chicago's O'Hare airport and accused of travelling on a fake passport. ...

3. --Eighth NewsWatch--
Broadcast News , 21:24, 8 March 2003, 371 words, (English)
U-S President Bush is working the phones, trying to persuade leaders of other security council countries to support the U-S position on Iraq. ...

4. INS sends Toronto woman to India: Congressman wants answers in passport fiasco
Calgary Herald , 8 March 2003, 395 words, (English)
A U.S. congressman is calling for an investigation after an Indian-born Canadian woman was accused of carrying a fake passport, put on a flight to India, and barred from entering the United States for five years. ...

5. U.S. treatment of Canadian woman questioned
Kitchener-Waterloo Record , 8 March 2003, 270 words, (English)
A U.S. congressman is calling for an investigation after an Indian-born Canadian citizen was accused of carrying a fake passport, put on a flight to India, and barred from entering the United States for five years. ...

6. TORONTO -- A U-S congressman wants to know why an Indian-born Canadian woman was accused of carrying a fake passport, and put on a
Broadcast News , 07:49, 8 March 2003, 190 words, (English)
TORONTO -- A U-S congressman wants to know why an Indian-born Canadian woman was accused of carrying a fake passport, and put on a flight to India. ...

7. Congressman calls for probe after Indian-born Canadian woman barred from U.S.
The Canadian Press , 03:47, 8 March 2003, 397 words, (English)
TORONTO (CP) _ A U.S. congressman is calling for an investigation after an Indian-born Canadian woman was accused of carrying a fake passport, put on a flight to India, and barred from entering the United States for five years. ...

8. U.S. politician urges probe of passport debacle --- Woman ousted at Chicago stopover Toronto resident was flying home
The Toronto Star , 8 March 2003, 508 words, (English)
An American congressman is calling for an investigation after an Indian-born Canadian woman was accused of carrying a fake passport, put on a flight to India, and barred from entering the United States for five years. ...

9. Bush warns N. Korea.
Hindustan Times, 6 March 2003, 242 words, (English)
President George W Bush gave notice yesterday that the US will resort to military force against North Korea if diplomacy fails to stop it building a substantial nuclear arsenal. ...

10. Indo-Canadian's nationality suspected because of her name.
The Press Trust of India Limited, 4 March 2003, 479 words, (English)
Indo-Canadian's nationality suspected because of her name Washington, Mar 04 (PTI) In yet another incident of racial-profiling targetted against Asians, an Indian Canadian was treated roughly at Chicago's O'Hare airport and forced to fly to ...

11. Abused Canuck deserves justice
The Toronto Star , 20 February 2003, 151 words, (English)
Canadian in passport fiasco Feb. 14. Congratulations to the Star for publishing this horrendous story. Berna Cruz's treatment seems a clear example of racial discrimination and a brutal violation of human rights. ...

12. U.S. owes Cruz and Canada an explanation
The Toronto Star , 16 February 2003, 73 words, (English)
Canadian in passport fiasco Feb. 14. This is an outrageous incident. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services owes an explanation to both Berna Cruz and the Canadian government. Why could officials not have contacted the embassy or ...

13. India-born harassed at Chicago airport.
Hindustan Times, 16 February 2003, 99 words, (English)
An India-born Canadian woman was harassed, accused of using a fake passport and threatened with jail by immigration officials at a US airport, a newspaper reported in Toronto on Saturday. ...

14. Toronto woman suffers ordeal at hands of U.S. immigration
Kitchener-Waterloo Record , 15 February 2003, 480 words, (English)
A Toronto woman coming home from India says she was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, accused of using a fake Canadian passport, denied consular assistance, threatened with jail, then put on a plane back to India. ...

15. World Briefing Americas: Canada: Immigration Accusations
The New York Times , 15 February 2003, 88 words, (English)
The government urged the United States to examine the case of a Canadian who accused American officials of mutilating her passport at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and putting her on a plane to India. Berna Cruz, a native of India ...

16. Basic courtesy to verify passport
The Toronto Star , 15 February 2003, 194 words, (English)
Canadian in passport fiasco Feb 14. Why couldn't the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services officers have the basic human courtesy to verify Berna Cruz's passport before sending her to India? ..

17. Indian surnames are wide-ranging
The Toronto Star , 15 February 2003, 150 words, (English)
Canadian in passport fiasco Feb. 14. My name is Liz John. I am not white. I am South Asian and many Indian Christians like me have "white" surnames such as Thomas, Joseph, Philip and Matthew. The blatant ignorance and discrimination that ...

18. Canadian faces ordeal in U.S., shipped to India
Winnipeg Free Press , 15 February 2003, 606 words, (English)
Jim Rankin TORONTO -- A Toronto woman coming home from India says she was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, accused of using a fake Canadian passport, denied consular assistance, threatened with jail, then put on a plane back to ...

19. GUARDING THE BORDERS: Canadian protests U.S. officials' actions
Detroit Free Press , 15 February 2003, 495 words, (English)
Canada said Friday it would press Washington to probe the case of a Canadian citizen who said U.S. officials destroyed her passport at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and then put her on a plane to India. ...

20. TORONTO -- It's a stopover Berna Cruz would like to forget. The Toronto woman says she was coming home from India on January
Broadcast News , 09:29, 14 February 2003, 211 words, (English)
TORONTO -- It's a stopover Berna Cruz would like to forget. The Toronto woman says she was coming home from India on January 27th when she was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. ...

21. Une Torontoise est malmenée par l'immigration américaine, à Chicago
La Presse Canadienne , 12:10, 14 February 2003, 240 words, (French)
TORONTO (PC) _ Il s'agit certainement d'une halte que Berna Cruz voudra oublier. La femme de Toronto souligne qu'elle a été mise à l'écart à l'aéroport O'Hare, de Chicago, lors de son voyage de retour de l'Inde, le 27 janvier dernier. ...

22. Une Torontoise est malmenée par l'immigration américaine, à Chicago
Nouvelles Tele-Radio , 12:11, 14 February 2003, 240 words, (French)
TORONTO (PC) _ Il s'agit certainement d'une halte que Berna Cruz voudra oublier. La femme de Toronto souligne qu'elle a été mise à l'écart à l'aéroport O'Hare, de Chicago, lors de son voyage de retour de l'Inde, le 27 janvier dernier. ...

23. DESTRUYE PASAPORTE Y DEPORTA A CANADIENSE HACIA KUWAIT EMPLEADO DE EU.
Agencia Mexicana de Noticias, NOTIMEX, 14 February 2003, 409 words, (Spanish)
Montreal, 14 Feb (Notimex) - Un funcionario de la inmigración de Estados Unidos destruyó el pasaporte de la canadiense Berna Cruz cuando estaba en el aeropuerto de Chicago en tránsito hacia Canadá, y la deportó de inmediato en un vuelo ...

24. Ottawa to investigate Canadian deported to India, denied consular access
Agence France-Presse , 14 February 2003, 351 words, (English)
TORONTO, Feb 14 (AFP) - The Canadian government said Friday it will investigate what happened to a Canadian woman, who was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and deported to India after US officials accused her of obtaining a false ...

25. Ottawa asks US about claim of "deported" Canadian.
Reuters News, 16:23, 14 February 2003, 391 words, (English)
OTTAWA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Canada said on Friday it would press Washington to probe the case of a Canadian citizen who said U.S. officials destroyed her passport at Chicago's O'Hare Airport and put her on a plane to India. ...

26. Canadian in passport fiasco U.S. 'removes' Canadian: 'I felt it was total discrimination' --- Humiliated by immigration staff Officials ...
The Toronto Star , 14 February 2003, 1359 words, (English)
'They wouldn't listen to anything' A Toronto woman coming home from India says she was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, accused of using a fake Canadian passport, denied consular assistance and threatened with jail. ...

27. Harrowing U.S. ordeal for Toronto woman returning from family visit India
The Canadian Press , 07:05, 14 February 2003, 850 words, (English)
TORONTO (CP) _ A Toronto woman coming home from India says she was pulled aside at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, accused of using a fake Canadian passport, denied consular assistance, threatened with jail, then put on a plane back to India. ...