This should teach all those Amish terrorists not to mess with the U.S.A.:
A young Amish man and his family cannot return to the United States, and the problem seems to be a conflict between homeland security and immigration policy versus the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion.
The man is a citizen of Canada, his wife and daughter are citizens of the United States. They are all Amish, and have a home among the Amish community in Licking Township.
The man went to Canada to visit his ailing father, and now U.S. immigration authorities will not allow him to return because he does not have a “green card,” showing he is allowed to stay and work in the U.S.
. . .
A green card � officially called a lawful permanent residence card � must include a photograph, but being photographed would violate the man�s religious beliefs.
Old Order Amish do not believe in being photographed because of the Biblical prohibition of the making of graven images.
. . .
The man tried at one point to get a green card without a photograph, Black said, but his request was rejected. He was officially issued a visitor�s pass, but immigration authorities never sent it to him, Black said.
Other Amish have been issued green cards without a photograph, but this was apparently before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the subsequent tightening of security.
Black said the man was “treated rudely by border officials and warned he would be permanently deported if he tried to cross the border.”
Black said the government�s refusal to issue a green card without a photo is a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion.
. . .
A background check on the Amish man should be able to solve the problem, Black said.
As things stand now, “it could take months or years to straighten out,” Black said.
This is silly. An Amish man should be able make arrangements so that border guards can verify his identity without taking a case to the Supreme Court. Where’s common sense here? If a terrorist in Canada is intent on coming into the U.S., he wouldn’t bother with this hassle. There’s hundreds of miles of open space where he can sneak across, just as the Mexicans do at the southern border.
Speaking of which, I thought it ironic to read of this Amish guy’s plight just as I was hearing about how the U.S. is considering easing Mexico border security checks. Interesting, eh? It’s almost as if Hispanics have more political clout than Amish or something.
Via The Seamus Press.