Twenty Hours in America or How I Pocketed a Homeland Security Pen
I am writing this post from the First Presbyterian Church in Slidell, Louisiana, as I am here working with Habitat for Humanity, helping with the ongoing Katrina relief efforts. Throughout the week I will post updates on this excursion and pictures of the good works we hope to accomplish.
Driving from Ontario to Louisiana is a 20 hour drive. Full of many misadventures.
Upon arrival in Detroit we were addressed by border security as another van of “Katrina kids.” We would soon understand what was meant by “another.” Apparently, there is a new regulation that anyone traveling to the United States to participate in volunteer work, are required to have documentation proving that they are not getting paid. As a result there were over 60 people being held by Homeland Security on the border. 70 “Katrina kids” who wished to spend their spring break, not drinking tequila shots off each other in a tropical clime, but to help rebuild a city that had been devastated by a hurricane nearly three years ago.
So all in all, my team consisting of 4 vans and 25 people in total, were held at the border anywhere from 2 hours to a whopping 6 hours in processing centers in Detroit. The United States government was gracious enough though to put us on a type of visitors parole for a week and will not require us to pay the fine/levy for entering the country to do humanitarian work. It was at this point that I was asked to sign some papers with a very blue DHS pen….
Personally, my van of 6 volunteers were held for 3 hours (from 10:30 pm-1:30am) in a downtown Detroit processing facility. The best part of the experience though was getting released with minimum directions in downtown Detroit at 2am. FUN TIMES all around. At least we did not have to pay anything.
Speaking of paying the U.S. government money…
Also, what is the law concerning traffic tickets that one may have acquired in Ohio? Could a “friend” of mine be allowed to reenter the U.S. without paying it? Or can said “friend” be barred from Ohio and the U.S.? Or does anyone want to represent Matt in Troy County court on Tuesday?
Sir, I swear I was just going with the flow.
It all worked out in the end, though, as I walked away with a sweet (free) Homeland Security pen!
Tomorrow: We visit the French Quarter!
