DEAR EDITOR:

Your July 9 article describing the refusal of entry to the U.S. of a musician to perform here locally raised several disturbing questions.

Of course, there is a disparity of the organizer claiming the musician “carried documentation proving the non-commercial nature of his performances” and the Border Patrol claiming the performer “did not have the appropriate employment-based visa to perform multiple events as a professional musician.”

It doesn’t matter which documentation claim is the most accurate or the most applicable under the law. What matters is that the musician was subject to “hours of interrogation” before being deported to Prague. And further that he feels “shaken to the core emotionally, mentally and physically. It is difficult to describe the fear and helplessness I felt in that moment and the profound sense of injustice that still lingers.”

If the agency had time to interrogate the individual for hours, then it certainly had the time to make a simple phone call to alleviate any documentation issues.

So local audiences are missing out on the group’s talent and performances.

It is no wonder that foreign travelers are avoiding the U.S., especially this vacation season. The worldwide impression that the U.S. is turning into a police state is exacerbated by incidences such as these. It’s Orwell’s “1984” all over again.

STEPHAN STOYAK

Liberty