Confiscated Passport – looking for information

This is a call for information to all members or visitors at FightAWA.org. from Allan Lolly, of Lolly and Assoc. in California. Please see the email form Allan shown below:

 

There is an SORL member who put me in contact with an Indonesian attorney because the word was there is no waiver protocol for a bar to visit Indonesia. I questioned the Indonesian attorney regarding a possible bar waiver and he said he was told by an Indonesian immigration officer that U.S. residents on a SORL are prevented from visiting Indonesia at the request of the U.S. government. I responded that there may be a U.S. constitutional infirmity in preventing all travel to certain countries by U.S. citizens. We’ve eventually speculated that USCIS and ICE liaison in other countries may be giving direction, informally or formally, to foreign governments to bar U.S. residents. Perhaps the U.S. consulates may have a liaison.

Have you heard of anything along these lines from SORL members? It’s acceptable if a foreign government bars, but it should not be at the direction of the U.S. government.

Additionally, he writes:

I believe this tactic may be illegal. It’s a bit different than what I am hearing out of Indonesia. As I understand it, in Indonesia the USCIS and AngleWatch are giving training courses to border agents in other countries and are instructing them as part of training to deny entry for anyone on a sex offender list or perhaps also who has a ML stamp. Things are unclear. It’s one thing to make a recommendation, but quite another to instruct another country not to allow entry by a U.S. citizen. We are all U.S. citizens, and one citizen should not have the right to dictate travel abroad by another citizen. This should not be a U.S. government prerogative since the issue does not involve U.S. government jurisdiction.

 

If you or anyone you know has any further information about this issue specific to Indonesia, please email Fightawa.org. We are working to try to resolve this issue for any and all who are now affected, or may be affected in the future.

 

Thank you,

Darrin

Fightawa.org

 

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