[Magdalen] Keeping safe?

[Roger Stokes]

One of the |UK TV channels is currently showing a short series about the 
USA embassy in London, filmed behind the scenes over 12 months so it 
covers both the old Grosvenor Square embassy and the new billion dollar 
one in Vauxhall on a site agreed by President Bush. This week's episode 
(#2 of 3) focussed on the consular section, what might be termed the 
first line of defence in deciding who should, and who should not, get a 
visa to visit the USA. The consular officers who make the decision 
obviously have to follow what happens to be the law at the time they 
interview the applicant - the interviews averaging 3 minutes in length.

One applicant featured was a lady of mature years (her daughter seemed 
to be middle-aged) who had been visiting the USA every year for some 
years past to see family there. Because SCOTUS had upheld the 
presidential decree denying visas to all people with passports from 
certain countries, as hers was, she was denied a visa. One of the 
officials observed afterwards that had she applied three months earlier 
she would probably have got her visa.

Roger