AZ-TESOL recently learned that several international students were detained by the U.S. Border Patrol as they were leaving the 2009 state conference in Yuma to return to Flagstaff. The driver of the car that they were in was a U.S. citizen who was born in the Middle East. The two passengers were M.A. students studying in Flagstaff through the prestigious IIE Fulbright Program for International Students. One (who was from a country beginning with "P") had official copies of her/his passport; the other (who was from a region transitional between Europe and Asia) did not. As a result, all three students were delayed a very long time before being cleared to continue their trip back to Flagstaff—and the outcome could have been much worse.

AZ-TESOL offers its sincere regrets that honored guests in our country would receive such treatment, but because of what happened, AZ-TESOL also makes the following recommendations:

International / Immigrant Students:

See your International Student Advisor immediately to learn what documents you should carry with you at all times, to learn whether or not these documents should be originals or official copies, and if official copies are acceptable, to learn how to get an official copy of a document.

Those Who Work with International / Immigrant Students:

See an International Student Advisor and/or an Immiigration official to learn what documents your students should carry with them at all times, to learn whether or not these documents should be originals or official copies, and if official copies are acceptable, to learn what your students must do in order to get an official copy of a document. Be sure that your students are aware that they could be stopped and detained (or worse) almost anywhere within the state of Arizona.

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