In 1973 I
had a friend in Baltimore Named Albatore De Paul. He was a real estate agent
and a great person. Albatore had a funny quirk. He kept his US passport on him
at all times.
When I asked
him why, he told me a fascinating story going back to the time when John F.
Kennedy was president. All four members of the family had been born in Italy.
When Albatore was young, the father got a job offer in Managua, Nicaragua.
Albatore spent some years in Managua. The next move for the family was to
Baltimore, Maryland. The entire family became naturalized US citizens. Albatore’s
brother Vincent went to law school. He became a famous criminal defense
attorney in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
In the early
1960’s, the Immigration And Naturalization Service arrested Albatore. They
claimed that he did not have legal residence or citizenship in the United
States. Albatore produced his naturalization certificate and US passport.
Immigration officials told an immigration judge that they had no record of
Albatore even been admitted legally to the USA. The judge issued a deportation
order for Albatore. He found himself on a plane for Managua, Nicaragua.
Albatore’s
brother went to a Maryland US senator and the local congressman there in
Baltimore. The INS found a lot of political pressure being applied.
Miraculously they found Albatore’s file that had been lost or misplaced.
A few months
after his deportation, Albatore found himself back in Baltimore. The INS never
issued an official apology.
There is a
moral to this story. The government personnel carrying out this immigration
round-up now are going to become over worked, exhausted and emotionally
distraught. Mistakes are going to be made. We may even see US citizens deported
in error. It has happened before.
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