International artist Mina Agossi mistreated at Minneapolis airport
International artist Mina Agossi mistreated at Minneapolis airport
Something I Said/International artist Mina Agossi mistreated at
Minneapolis airport
Dwight Hobbes/MN Spokesman-Recorder
It isn't hard to fathom what pisses so much of the world off about
America: its galling arrogance. This fuels a sense of impunity
against being accountable for mistreating others. Hence, the term
"The Ugly American" used to describe U.S. citizens who travel abroad
and refuse to respect the sensibilities of the countries and cultures
they visit. Since the 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center,
American arrogance has only grown worse on U.S. soil. An extreme
example is the unconscionable torture of terrorist suspects for which
the military prison at Guantnamo Bay is infamous. A recent example,
hardly world news but nonetheless characteristically deplorable, is
the mistreatment of international vocalist-composer Mina Agossi.
She called me in November, due to perform at Twin Cities jazz club The
Dakota in December, and granted an extensive interview. In bright
spirits, she reflected on her craft, career and, when work brings her
this way, a fondness for hanging out in Minneapolis and St. Paul's, as
she put it, the ambiance of "progressive atmosphere". Agossi, who
literally performs all over the world, from Europe to Africa to South
America to, until recently the U.S. (she's now sworn off playing the
States), was promoting Just Like A Lady her ninth album. We're talking
a renowned, veteran artist who is honored by President Nicolas Sarkosy
with the Medal of Merit (that's the president of France, not
somebody's local rotary club). The article for Twin Cities Daily
Planet went well, came out in advance of the Dakota gig and looked to
be part of an enjoyable experience for her.
Then asinine, ignorant authority prevailed, courtesy of the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security. Mina Agossi called again, far from
upbeat. She was miserable. Distraught, Agossi relayed that the
Dakota gig had to be called off. At Minneapolis-St.Paul International
Airport she'd been refused entry into the country. The difficulty was
work visa complications. There was some discrepancy, it turned out, as
to whether she had the right kind of visa. Subsequently, what
should've been no more than a matter of straightening out some
paperwork or, at worst, simply turning her around and sending her back
to home to France, she was locked up. Not merely detained, she was
incarcerated. Under inexcusable conditions. Here is what Agossi told
me. She was fingerprinted and put in a room the size of a box.
Denied reasonable
access to food. Reasonable access to the ladies facilities. Without
being charged with so much as suspicion of having committed a crime.
They wouldn't even let her make a phone call. "No!!", she said,
"That's the first thing I asked. And would not explain why. I came
so many times to perform in the clubs in the U.S., with no visas at
all, and the customer officers were always cool, even wishing me good
luck, that I don't even know how to express the huge surprise when
this guy -- [I] chose the wrong line -- stopped me because of
suspicion about my coming to jam and sing in the states. I have to
tell you I have multiple US admitted entrances on my passport, I even
paid a P1 visa in 2008. Cost me 1800 dollars, because if you want
this work permit, you need a lawyer to make sure you receive it. I
asked for this work permit because I had to tour on festivals and big
venues in the States. This was no club tour. This guy stopped me
because I had not this work permit for a club show. I told him to
look at all my entrances, I come every year once or twice a year, and
never ever have had a problem." Nothing doing. Mina Agossi was
treated like she was some sort of undercover scout for Osama bin
Laden. "They asked me things about my father, my mother. They had the
guts to scan my credit card. They threatened me saying if I don't
answer, I won't be able to come back in the states for 5 years to
come. I said, 'I really don't care. Do they really think I want to
come back after such treatment? It was 5 hours! Detained and
interviewed in spite of the jet lag of 7 hours. It was 4 am when they
started the interview. [I was] arrested and lost my citizenship for all that period. I could not touch or know
where my passport was. They gave it back to me in [a] plane going to
Amsterdam!" And never apologized for unnecessarily putting her
through hell.
I called Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport to their side of
the story. Waste of time. Talk about be led on a not-so-merry chase.
I got an Officer Vanstrom, who Agossi said had been there, on the
line. He wasn't permitted to discuss it and gave me a number to call
at an office in downtown Minneapolis. A woman there, transferred me
to the public affairs office who, you guessed it, gave me another
number to call. I called that number and was literally back at square
one, talking to Vanstrom again. This time he told me to call the
public affairs field office in Chicago. I had few choice things I
wanted to tell him to do but thought better of it. Instead, I called
downtown Minneapolis again, got voicemail and left a message. Which
was not returned.
The whole thing is way above and beyond the call of common sense.
Common decency, for that matter. And, sadly enough, completely in
keeping with such character for which this country, the vaunted United
States of America, is long well known. Somebody's butt should be in a
sling behind this. Won't happen. Because this country is not now, has
never been nor will it ever be accountable for how it treats people.
--
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