Honesty may be the best policy for going through life, but
certainly not the easiest way to pass a US Border Patrol checkpoint when you
are with your wife who happens to be in this country on an expired visa from
Holland. So began the spiraling
complexity of circumstances stemming from the arrest, detention and deportation
of Michael Durack’s wife as he recounts the events of the true story of what
happened to them in his book, The Illegal from Holland.
Written in a first-person narrative format, Durack tells of
the foibles of the immigration agents as they maneuver detainees from place to
place; from hearings to detention centers, from visitor meetings to feedings,
and eventually to airports and deportation. Yes, hurry up and wait. Weeks and
months are of little concern as taxpayers pick up the bill for this slow moving
processing of non-violent individuals, moving them back to their country of
origin, mostly to Mexico and South American countries.
When Michael Durack’s wife falls into this system, he is
forced to cope with the circumstances necessary to achieve her freedom from
detention, and allow for the correct paperwork for her legal presence within
the USA. This process takes him on a
trip of quite a varied journey, throughout Holland and Europe, and over a year
and a half before settling back to California as a married couple.
The Illegal from
Holland is a fast read, a bit light with regards to impact as the
situations discussed are rather mundane and non-eventful. After all, being caught for simply having
over-extended your entry visa seems to be thought by Durack as having the same
severity as driving with an expired license, filing a late tax return, or
amassing some parking tickets. Nothing
worthy of being instantly detained, or for a better use of terms, jailed.
Michael has written his true story admittedly as his opinion,
stating in the forward that to some readers
the fact his wife was in violation of the law speaks adequately to the wrath of
events that became her ordeal. Justice,
although harsh, is known to those prior to making the decision to remain in
this country beyond stated times and consequences should come as no surprise if
caught. His logical appeal is to the
reading audience: it’s my wife, a nice
girl, and not a criminal – so to speak. I’d wonder what the Dutch would do if the tables were turned, and
Michael was illegally in Holland traveling with his wife. Would they say, “Fine, have a nice day Mr.
Durack and please leave soon?” Perhaps
that could be a good concept for a sequel.
