Xenophobia

Eva Ósk Arnardóttir, a young Icelandic woman, tried to visit America for the holidays, and this is what happened to her:

During the last twenty-four hours I have probably experienced the greatest humiliation to which I have ever been subjected . . . they were treating me like a very dangerous criminal. . . two armed guards placed me up against a wall. A chain was fastened around my waist and I was handcuffed to the chain. Then my legs were placed in chains. I asked for permission to make a telephone call but they refused. So secured, I was taken from the airport terminal in full sight of everybody. . . all because I had taken a longer vacation than allowed under the law.

. . .I was fingerprinted once again and photographed. I was made to undergo a medical examination, I was searched and then I was placed in a jail cell. I was asked absurd questions such as: When did you have your last period? What do you believe in? Have you ever tried to commit suicide?

Eva's offense? She had overstayed a visa by a couple weeks back in 1996. You can read the rest of her horror-story here. Other Icelanders report similar experiences on visiting the US -- see here.