Al-Dhafairi left for the US after receiving his passport from the US Embassy with what he believed was a valid visa. However, on arriving at Los Angeles airport, his passport was seized and he was mistreated by immigration officers and held in custody for 24 hours.
When asked for an explanation, Department of Homeland Security officials told him that there were no records of him being issued a visa.
In spite of following up on the incident for the last few months, the US Embassy in Riyadh has offered no explanation, let alone an apology. Nor has Al-Dhafairi been reimbursed his ticket money or visa costs.
In response, the embassy told him it cannot pay for his ticket or visa and that rejected applicants need to bear the costs of any new visa applications if they so choose to apply.
Al-Dhafairi said he received his passport with what he believed was a valid visa in December 2009. The visa had been issued on Oct. 24, 2009 and was valid until Oct. 17, 2011.
“I left for Los Angeles via Dubai on Dec. 27, 2009. When the plane landed in the US and as soon as the gates were opened, I was taken by two officials to a private room where my passport was taken and I was informed that my visa was invalid and that I was not allowed to enter the country,” said Al-Dhafairi, who was then questioned for 10 hours and humiliated.
“They asked me to take off my clothes for physical inspections, then they took me to the Immigration and Customs’ jail in Los Angeles because it’s not allowed to sleep inside the airport. I stayed in a very cold room for hours with only a T-shirt and a chair to sleep on. When I asked for a blanket or food, they refused,” said Al-Dhafairi, adding that he was also not allowed to call up his friends who were waiting to pick him up.
The next day, two officers led Al-Dhafairi in a humiliating way with his hands behind his back through the airport to a plane for Dubai. “It was so upsetting for me, I was being stared at by passengers, especially Saudi families, as if I was a criminal,” said Al-Dhafairi, adding that he has been unable to have an appointment with officials at the US Embassy.
When he inquired why his visa had been canceled and why he was not informed, the embassy responded by saying: “Your visa was revoked, we are sorry we couldn’t tell you before you left for the US because we didn’t know. We have no information about your revoked visa. The US visa which you had been issued is no longer valid.”
“The least I ask for is a refund for the ticket and visa, not to mention the humiliation and harsh treatment that I suffered,” said Al-Dhafairi, adding that he wonders how a visa issued by the US Embassy in Riyadh could become invalid and why this was not communicated to airport officials properly.
Al-Dhafairi added that after he asked the US Embassy for an explanation, it asked for his passport, which it then returned with a valid US visa. “I didn’t ask for a new visa, I just handed in my passport on their request to investigate my previous issue. They kept it for over a month and so I asked for it again because I had to go somewhere on a business trip,” said Al-Dhafairi, adding that it was returned with a valid US visa. He also said he does not want to visit the US anymore.
The Press office of the US Department of Homeland Security refused to comment on the issue citing privacy reasons.
Meanwhile, both Al-Dhafairi and the National Society for Human Rights await a more justifiable response from officials at the US Embassy. “Who is responsible? Who will pay for my suffering? Why insult a tourist in this cruel way?” asked Al-Dhafairi.
