Mairead Maguire: Protesting against US visa treatment

… the US of A!!! (Well, at least in the opinion of Nobel Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire).

The Belfast-born peace campaigner has encountered a series of bureacratic hullaballoos ever since the Obama administration took over in 2009, reports Ann Wright of the Huffington Post. Maguire’s catalogue of complaints ranges from needless detention by US immigration officials, missed flights and having to foot the resultant expenses bill for hotel rooms and the like.

The problems first began in July 2009 and a confused Maguire, on asking a US immigration official what she could do to avoid trouble at border control, was advised to get a 10-year US visa. This did little to improve the situation and she continued to encounter problems at immigration control

Maguire’s has long been known for her staunch opposition to Israel’s stand on Palestine and she has a history of regularly speaking out against nuclear arms and war. This seems to be what is at the crux of the ‘border bullying’ and not her visa.

It just goes to show, that even with a valid visa and a Nobel Peace Prize, getting past immigration officials when you make the move to US can be more difficult than you think.