Wolf, what makes you think they didn't plan in advance? this certainly wasn't a spontaneous concert.

I understand the need for tighter security, but I also like common sense. Unless this man has a record of terrorist activities or spying, why keep him out of the US? If he is already living in Spain, doesn't that suggest that he, perhaps, is not a big Castro fan?

Since 9/11 both Congress, Homeland Security and the State Department have been refining the processing of visas. One of the things that has happened is that visa applicants from certain countries (especially those designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism) are subjected to greater scrutiny and require special screening. The requirements were written with a very broad brush so that just about anyone born in Cuba or holding a Cuban passport requires the special processing. This can take from a couple of weeks to several months.

Another observation, for people wishing to work (this includes all processional entertainers) in the US, there is a two tier process. First, the employer must file a petition with USCIS (former INS). If the petition is approved, the person must then apply for a visa at a US consular office overseas. Only when the person applies for a visa will the security screening start. While concerts may be planned for a long time ahead, frequently the petition is filed with USCIS only a few weeks before the event and the application for visa applied for only a couple of days before the performer wishes to travel. If the person then requires special processing, there is almost never enough time to do it before the planned event.

The comments by the promoter in this case are self-serving. Getting in touch with Homeland Security isn't the answer, most security screening gets held up going through the FBI.

The recent flamenco festival is a good example. The organizers were substituting performers up to the day before the event, and they all had to try and get a visa. While people complain about US visa policy and procedures, I'd much rather have to deal with USCIS and the State Department than try and get a Spanish visa again!

"I agree, it is sad that we have to be so careful. But with nuts like Fidel Castro loose on the world, what else can we do. It is a verified fact that he sends out Cubans to spy."

Well...hmmm... it is also a verifiable fact that the Americans send out people to spy (CIA anyone?). In fact I would be astonished if any country in the world did not have intelligence people. This is not the place to discuss whether or not Mr Castro has been a force for good or not. However there are (maybe unfortunately) many people in lots of countries who would describe Mr Bush as "a nut" (I'm not one of them don't worry). Would that then justify closing all borders to American visitors?
I think Paco de Lucia is perhaps the greatest guitarrist of the last 30 years (I have had the privilege to attend one of his concerts) and find it staggering his visa has been refused. At one point I believe Mark Knoffler went over to Spain to record with this hero.
This incident is sad, sad, sad.

Filbert, for the record, Paco's visa was not denied. Rather his Cuban bassist's application is still under review. I, too, had tickets for Wednesday's concert and am heartbroken. (Some California concerts have been rescheduled. Why not in Tucson?) The Tri-Valley article cited above said that Rodriguez was granted a previous visa within the last 2 years, did an in-person interview at an American consulate in Spain and was cleared by US immigration for a visa. Homeland Security received his application on Dec. 6. Call me crazy, but that seems like plenty of time to make a decision. My understanding is not that he has been denied, but that Homeland hasn't taken any action one way or the other. Yeah, sure, maybe they are conducting important security checks. Or maybe they are just slow. This rots.

It does seem like a long time, fron Dec. 6, until now. But let's ask another question. Can anyone tell me how many applications for visas were accepted during the period before and surrounding that time, and how much time its taken for evaluation by Homeland Security?

My guess is that number is huge, and like it or not, they will scrutinize every one of them, and make their decisions when they are ready to clear the person for entry, and not before. I won't argue with them over it, because I prefer seeing my nation as safe as possible, no matter how much of an inconvenience it is to any foreign national.

The next issue would be to ask another question. How many additional people do you feel the US government should hire to go over these visas and perform investigations? Should they hire another 5,000, maybe 10,000 people? Each investigation takes time. If I was to offer a suggestion, to anyone caught in the same situation as he is, apply even earlier. That's the way beaureaucratic systems work, and I've heard real horror stories about work visas taking forever to get in Spain, and that's not nearly as much of a concern as this situation is. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to see us hire more people to do the job, because that's taxpayer money, and we already spend our share, thank you, and obviously do not owe it to other nations.

As for him having a visa two years earlier, that doesn't mean anything. He had to reapply. I do hope Homeland Security does expedite it though, because I don't want to see anyone disappointed by not being able to see the concert.

Wolf

la maestra,

If the man had a "history of terrorism" I'd say let him in, then arrest his sorry arse. I guess we see it differently. I don't remember all of the people involved in the 9-11 incident as being listed on a "watch out this guy's a terrorist" list anywhere in the world. I guess that means that it would take time to see if the person's allegiances or affiliations have led him in that direction.

By the way, that investigation can take months, just like Chris eloquently stated from his own experiences going to Spain, not coming into the US. So, we live with the situation in the world, and deal with it the best we can.

Wolf

Jana writes: Homeland Security's action is inaction, a time-honored tactic: "Ignore it and maybe it'll go away." Homeland Security is a New U.S. Executive Agency and many (most?) of its people really don't know what they are doing or what they are supposed to do.

Given their lack of guidelines for dealing with something like this; and they certainly wouldn't ask the State Department for help sorting it out lest this should give the people at State a clue as to Homeland Security's ineptness, I predict that this situation won't be resolved any time soon. Homeland Security is trying to make up rules as it goes along. Welcome to U.S. Government fumbling and bungling!

It seems to me that there should be a procedure for folks who fall into the performer, entertainer category in terms of getting a visa. They are not planning on working in the United States or living here permanently (yes, performing is work, but it seems different from getting a job at a company, doesn't it?) These people are in the public eye and are easily tracked.

Wolf, while the terrorists who started all this mess were not identified, they left enough clues so that they could have been. When a pilot wants to learn how to fly a plane but NOT how to take off or land, that should make folks wonder! We were caught with our pants down. It sounds as though you are trivializing the concert cancellation because it is just entertainment. Yes, if I had to choose between having terrorists bomb something here all to hell or cancelling the concert, I'd cancel the concert. I don't see this as trivial, though. There are a lot of "safe" countries in the world where you don't have to worry much about crime (seems to me Spain in the Franco era was a lot like that ), but there is no freedom. I don't want to be safe so badly that I'm willing to live in constant lock-down. There has to be some workable solution.

la maestra,

I totally agree, there has to be an answer, and I hope we find it. Yet, I think about one of the main reasons the terrorists who acted on 9-11 got away with what they did. They did so under the rights granted to everyone in the US, no matter what their origin may be. Then I remember the outcry of how it was wrong to just "let people in," and things changed. Now I hear the outcry of "it's unfair," because time has passed since 9-11.

But the question I ask is this. Is it time that heals wounds as deep as 9-11? Is it time to protect our own nation as others would protect theirs?

I hear how the US is becoming a "military state," then I remember trips to Spain where I saw armored cars parked on street corners with a man on the machine gun in the turret, and soldiers carrying machine guns protecting the area. Then I think about the road blocks we ran into throughout the North of Spain as the military looked for members of ETA in vehicles, and I think about the machine guns trained on our vehicle and each person in it, when the stop was made.

It was bothersome, and lets face it, a little humiliating, but not once did I then, or now, renounce the rights of the Spanish government to make their streets and highways as safe for everyone as they can. Not once did I scream about my civil rights, or being profiled as they had us get out of the cars, and looked at me suspiciously because I have a darker complextion as a Frenchman but carry a US passport. Not once did I object because they questioned me for a period of time at each stop trying to figure out if I really was who my passport indicated because I felt it was their right to protect their people, and in the process, myself and my family. If I don't like what they do, I shouldn't go there, but to be honest, I'm glad they were there then, and I'm still glad of it today. Of course, if I wanted to go on a witch hunt, I could say the opposite, but I don't intend to, because Spain was my gracious host, and allowed me to visit their fair land.

As for lockdown, rest assured we are not in any form of a lockdown in the US. My wife and I experienced travel difficulties before Christmas and after New Years when flights were delayed for extraordinarily long periods of times as they sorted out the people who were on the planes, and obviously did some thorough searches of luggage, and ran everyone's pictures through bevies of files on computers to make sure there wasn't someone planning on boarding the plane who could bring it down.

Even thought he delays accounted for over eight hours of total "lost time," I can say with pride that all flights that were flown in and out of the US, and within the US, were safe. That is what counts. Not inconvenience.

Is there freedom here? Yes. The difference is, someone caused us concern. Instead of blaming the government for the problems, why not take a strong look at who really caused the problem. Al Qaeda. If we want to show our wrath for what's happened, lets take it out on them.

Was I trivializing the concert? Yes and no. A concert onto itself is of little importance in the scheme of whether or not people live or die, and if one human life is saved because of close scrutiny related to visa requests, then I say that the concert meant absolutely nothing. The human life was well worth saving. After all, the concert was nothing more than entertainment, was it?

I think the question of Spain being safe during the Franco era should be addressed by Spaniards on our board who lived there during that period. They are the ones who lived under his rule. They might have feelings about their freedoms compared to then and now which might shed more light on the subject.

Personally I think we have a workable solution to the whole thing. Stomp out terrorism and the people who would take such actions. Lets hope we can see it in our lifetime.

Wolf

filbert, you misunderstood my point.

Recently, 5 Cuban nationals whose defense team admitted that their clients were spying for Castro in the U.S., were adjudicated for spying. These five men were members of the Partido Comunista, yet at the time they came to the U.S. no background investigation was made, and they were granted asylum.

One of these men was directly involved in the death of two Cuban-American pilots (the Brothers to the Rescue incident in 1996) which were shot down by Cuban Migs from information provided by the spy.

My allusion was to explain that since this incident, our government is being more thorough in their investigations about providing visas to Cuban nationals.

The connection to this thread is that because of these past spy activities, all Cuban nationals now must undergo a thorough investigation, where before we were allowed in without much scrutiny.

While it is a terrible disappointment for everyone who bought tickets to the concert, it is an understandable security measure, as Chris explained the procedure now.

We are living in challenging times.