We all follow other nations’ entry rules
In December 2007, my family of six was scheduled to take a trip to Antarctica. The trip started in Santiago, Chile, and the boat left from Ushuaia, Argentina. We had our visas for Chile, and so off we went.
When we flew into the airport in Santiago, we were not allowed to clear customs, despite everything being in order. We stood on line for more than an hour in front of the border guard. Nobody would explain why we had to just stand there.
Finally, I had had enough and asked what was wrong. The guard found someone who could explain it to us in English. Customs was concerned that we were going to leave our children in Chile when the cruise was over, instead of taking them back to the states. I was confused. All I could think was, I have round-trip airplane tickets and have paid for an expensive cruise to a far-out place and purchased visas as required, and after all of this trouble, they think I am not going to take my kids back home to the United States?
To say I was incredulous would be an understatement. But it was their country, and they made the decisions. At least that is how I was brought up and educated.
I explained that after paying all this money, I was not about to leave my children in Chile instead of taking them home.
After more waiting, someone gave us a handwritten document to sign. It stated that we had every intention of taking our children back home with us. My husband and I both signed it without hesitation.
I have been on all seven continents now with all my children. I understand that every country, including the United States, has its own rules and regulations, and that as a guest, I am bound to adhere to them, whether I agree with them or not.
I do not understand how some in our country can justify allowing undocumented immigrants to stay here. Nor do I get how Americans can protest President Trump’s recent order temporarily not allowing people from certain Muslim countries to enter the U.S. The U.S. has every right to ban anyone it considers a security threat from entering this country.
We in the United States cannot take in everyone who wants to come here. And we have rules and laws that pertain to everyone who is not a citizen and wants to come here. It is just that plain and simple.