by Nomad
Meet Libya-born Mohanad Elshieky, a stand-up comedian based in Portland. With his unique perspective, Elshieky is a rising star in the comedy scene. The laid-back performer has won accolades for his ability to find humor in dire circumstances.
Here's his story in his own words.
The other day, he left a series of tweets about a demoralizing incident that happened to him.
Sadly, in Trump's America, the same thing could have happened to millions of Americans who have been labeled as "Others."
They walked around before they asked me and few others to step outside and took my documents and interrogated me for around 20 mins then claimed my papers were fake and that I’m “illegal”.
I explained to them that I was granted Asylum here in the United States, and that the work permit they currently hold and the license are impossible to get unless your presence here is legal. They told me that I was lying and these could pretty much be falsified.
They got on the phone with immigration and gave them my name and document number and I can hear the person on the end of the line saying that yes they can see my name and yes, I entered the country legally.
The ICE agent ended the call and then said “there are no records of your Asylum” and I again said that was impossible. Then said I should have had my Asylum approval on me which is ridiculous, why would I carry that where I have my IDs.
I kept it together and told them that what they are doing now is illegal and that they must hand me my documents back or I will have to call my lawyer and take legal action.
Another ICE agent then started yelling at me to take my hands out of my pockets and I did which is stupid because it was snowing and they were wearing gloves and my hands were freezing cold.
They handed my documents back and said “Next time, have your papers on you” which means nothing because I did and they said they were fake.
To be honest, I have never felt as terrible as I did today. I have never imagined that I would have to go through this.
It was another reminder that even though I have been here for 5 years working my ass off, I was still considered “Other” and I have never felt as alone as I did in that station full of people.
