Honolulu Lite
The United States suffers from a bad case of immigration schizophrenia, and nowhere is the condition more embarrassingly acute than in the land of aloha. Immigration policy
unfit to be Thai’dWhile President Bush considers granting amnesty to 3 million Mexicans in the country illegally, the feds in Hawaii are kicking out one of the island's most well-known and respected immigrant citizens.
Thai restaurateur Chai Chaowasaree didn't sneak across the border to make money that he could send back to his family in another country. He legally entered the United States, married and launched a career as a chef and businessman. His hard work and easy charm won him many admirers, including the usual passel of celebrities in search of the hottest new restaurants. Chai was personally involved in his adopted community. He wasn't some fat cat foreigner who finagled his way into the United States under some special immigration program simply by plopping down a million bucks to get a Green Card.
Chai worked his way up from a Big Island hole-in-the-wall to owning two popular restaurants, Singha Thai and Chai's Island Bistro. The man believed in the American Dream. He bought the PR. He swallowed that big piece of apple pie, hook, line and sinker. He was an Iron Chef before it was cool, proving that with some sweat, determination and a couple of really spicy recipes, you could succeed.
But Uncle Sam had a brain cramp. He went schizo on Chai. Sure, America wants hard-working immigrants who give more to the community than they take. But on the other hand, who does this guy Chai think he is, breaking up with the woman he married in 1986? It must have been a sham marriage because hardly any real Americans get divorced. OK, half of them get divorced, but they are Americans, they are allowed to. But Chai was a foreigner. He must have married an American just so he could stay in the country. Forget all the taxes he's paid or the people he's employed or the dedication he's shown to his adopted country and community -- he's outta here.
Chai fought the foolishness. Surely, Uncle Sam was just going through a bad spell. This was America, for God sakes.
The case dragged on, and then Chai did something stupid for someone in legal immigration limbo: He followed his heart instead of his lawyers' heads. He returned to Thailand last year to see his elderly father who had undergone heart surgery. It might be the last time Chai would get to see the 84-year-old man. The INS even gave him a temporary green card allowing him to travel.
But when he returned, he found he'd been hoodwinked. By leaving the country, he'd legally forfeited his appeal of deportation.
Now a federal court says Chai must go. Sorry, brah. If you were Mexican, you might be looking at amnesty or a special guest-worker program. You played by the right rules in the wrong game. You believed the dream. And this country is worse for it.
Alo-Ha! Friday compiles odd bits of news from Hawaii
and the world to get your weekend off to an entertaining start.
Charles Memminger also writes Honolulu Lite Mondays,
Wednesdays and Sundays. Send ideas to him at the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210,
Honolulu 96813, phone 235-6490 or e-mail cmemminger@starbulletin.com.
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