Well, that was a waste of time!

I haven't disappeared off the map, nor am I in deportation proceedings. I wasn't too worried about that as it happens. If you're on this side of the US Border it seems difficult to be deported unless you've committed some heinous crime. That's the subject of a rather (to my way of thinking) vicious debate here in Arizona. Some think anyone on this side of the border who doesn't have documentation on them should be subject to deportation on the spot, others disagree. I'm definitely a member of the disagreeing camp but as a non citizen my opinion doesn't go for much. I'm looking forward to the time when I can tell someone who craps on me from a great height for having the effrontery to express an opinion on US politics that I am, in fact, a US citizen but that moment is still some time off.

So I fronted up at the BCIS office here in Phoenix with a question/information type appointment. Phoenix BCIS is much much improved if the horror stories I've heard are anything to go by. I've mentioned those before[^] and so it proved again today. Well, at least in terms of getting 'face time' with an immigration officer. No standing in line at ungodly hours. Just the usual gamut of security to get into any government building these days followed by a wait in an airconditioned room.

Eventually my number pings up on the board and I explained the situation. And she looked at me and asked what I expected her to do about it.

You see, the local office is part of BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), a division of the Department of Homeland Security. But the people who shunt me off to secondary inspection at immigration in any US airport are part of ICE, (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), also a division of the Department of Homeland Security. As she explained it to me, my green card is valid as far as BCIS is concerned and they can do nothing for me with regard to ICE.

So I put the burning question. What do I do, or who do I deal with, to resolve this. The answer? Become a US citizen and then all the problems will go away.

I'd cry if I wasn't laughing. Isn't that just so typical of beauracracy?