Chapter 15 Indonesian Stories (14)
When the cruise ship sailed into New York Harbor for the first time, Yudhi stayed up all night, standing on the highest deck, watching the city's skyline appear on the horizon, feeling extremely excited.A few hours later, he disembarked in New York and hailed a taxi, as if in a movie.When a new black immigrant taxi driver asks him where he's going, Yudhi says, "Anywhere, man—just give me a ride. I want to see everything." A few months later, the boat arrives in New York again , this time Yudhi got off the boat for good.His contract with the cruise ship has expired, and now he is living in the United States.
He ended up in suburban New Jersey, where he lived for a while with an Indonesian man he met on a cruise ship.He worked at a sandwich shop in a shopping mall—again immigrant laborers who worked ten to twelve hour days, this time not with Filipinos but with Mexicans.He learned more Spanish than English in the first few months.Yudhi took the bus to Manhattan in his few free moments, roamed the streets, and still harbored an untold fascination with the city—a city he now describes as "the most loving place in the world."But somehow (his smile again), he met a bunch of young musicians from all over the world in New York City and started playing guitar with them; with great young guys from Jamaica, Africa, France, Japan Impromptu music was played all night... At one of the recitals, he met Annie, a beautiful blonde from Connecticut who played the double bass.They fall in love.They got married.They found an apartment in Brooklyn, and they drove down to the Florida Keys with a wonderful group of friends.Life is unbelievably joyful.His English was perfected quickly.He considers going to college.
On September 11, Yudhi watched the Twin Towers collapse from the rooftop of his Brooklyn apartment.He, like everyone, is saddened and overwhelmed by what happened - how could anyone do something like this to the most loving city in the world?I don't know how much Yudhi paid attention to the patriotism bill passed by Congress later-legislation to enact tough new immigration laws, and many regulations aimed at Islamic countries like Indonesia.One of the regulations requires that all Indonesian citizens residing in the United States must register with the Department of Homeland Security (Department of Homeland Security).Yudhi and his young Indonesian friends began talking on the phone to figure out what to do—many of them overstayed their visas and feared being deported for registering.But if you don't register, you are afraid of being regarded as a criminal.The fundamentalist terrorists wandering around the United States seemed to turn a blind eye to this registration law, but Yudhi decided to register.He is married to an American and wants to provide his latest immigration status and become a legal citizen.He didn't want to live in anonymity.
He and Annie turned to all kinds of lawyers, but no one knew how to advise them.Before 9/11 there were no problems -- Yudhi, who was married, could simply go to immigration and provide her visa status and start applying for citizenship.But now?who knows? "These rules haven't been tested," said the immigration lawyer. "Now it's going to be tested on you." So Yudhi and his wife went to a polite immigration officer to tell their story.The official told the couple that Yudhi had to return that evening for a "second interview."They should have been on their toes; Yudhi had been strictly instructed to come alone, not accompanied by his wife or lawyer, and carry nothing in his pockets.Yudhi, on the bright side, did come back empty-handed for the second interview—and the government agents arrested him on the spot.
They sent him to a detention facility in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, where he spent several weeks.The detention facility houses a large group of immigrants, all recently arrested under Homeland Security provisions. Many have worked and lived in the United States for years, and most speak no English.Some were unable to contact family members when they were arrested.They are invisible in the detention facility; no one pays any attention to their presence.Anne, who was almost hysterical, took several days to learn her husband's whereabouts.Yudhi vividly remembered the dozen or so charcoal-black, emaciated, terrified Nigerians in the detention facility; It was discovered that they were trying to come to America - or anywhere.They have no idea where they are now.Their eyes were wide open, Yudhi said, as if they were still dazzled by the searchlights.
After the detention period, the U.S. government deported my Christian friend Yudhi—now apparently a suspected Islamic terrorist—back to Indonesia.This was last year.I don't know if he's allowed to come any closer to the US.He and his wife are still figuring out what to do with their lives; their dreams don't allow them to live in Indonesia.