Inferno of Intolerance

During my first semester here at Penn State University, two of my dearest friends suggested we go out to grab drinks at a local bar. We were all first semester, international graduate students and did not yet have our state IDs. The only form of identification we carried were our passports.

If you've ever walked down College Avenue, you know you can probably count on one hand the places that look exciting at first glance. Inferno is one from that handful. We had no prior knowledge about any of the restaurants/bars in the area, so the cozy outdoor lounge seating and the general ambience of this beautiful restaurant was enough to convince us to start our night there. Upon reaching the front door of Inferno, the bouncer first asked me for my ID (I was in front). I gave him my passport, which was valid for another 5 years and evidence that I was several years over the minimum drinking age. He proceeded to flip through it beyond the usual required search for my date of birth, as though to be searching for additional information. Noticing this, I asked him if something was wrong. He replied, "Where is your US visa?" My friends and I were thrown for a loop by this question and so asked why he needed to see my visa. He then casually went on to attempt to justify why he needed to see my visa before I entered the restaurant and bar.

Here's a completely unnecessary backstory for you:

My passport had been recently renewed. This meant that my US visa was stamped in my old passport, which I didn't bring out with me that night (because I didn't think bouncers doubled as immigration officers). Even if I had that passport on me, however, he would see that it is not a valid visa. It was valid when I entered the US but I entered the US years ago for a previous degree so my visa had since expired. I hadn't left the country in that time so I had no need (nor legal requirement) to renew it. My legal status is based on my I-20 (a contract with my educational institution) and not my visa. So not only is my visa non of his business but its expiration has no bearing on whether or not I can legally remain in the US.

I hope the question that you are asking at this point is, "why does your legal status even matter?" It doesn't! I'm trying to enter a bar, not cross the US border; and he's a bouncer, not border patrol.

My girlfriends and I tried to explain my situation and assuage the bouncer's legal concerns as best as we could but the bouncer said he was sorry and that "rules were rules." Of course I was furious, as were my girlfriends so we decided to walk away and find a bar that wouldn't ask about our immigration status (shout out to Zeno's, The Rathskellar, and Fuji & Jade Garden).

I wanted to write to the Inferno manager and complain but if the bouncer was acting on bar policy, I felt this would not address our concerns. I considered a more public platform, like Onward State, to have them showcase our experience instead: I wanted to publicly humiliate the bar the same way they publicly humiliated my friends and I outside that bar that night. Until finally, I calmed myself down, told myself it's just a bar, and made myself move past this without taking any action. Later, I also learned that the owner of Inferno also owns several other bars in the area that have actually treated me very well. A part of me was relieved that I hadn't shared my story publicly because I didn't want to implicate employees that might not have anything to do with the Inferno intolerance. Still, I was left feeling mistreated. I wasn't sure what to do at this point so I let it simmer... for a long time.

Since then, I've had several friends approach me with similar stories and about other bars in the State College area. Their accounts brought back the fury I felt that night many semesters ago. For many of my friends, these experiences against the backdrop of the current national rhetoric further exacerbated their anxiety that comes with being an immigrant/non-immigrant in today's America. I wouldn't be so ambitious as to say that my sharing this would resolve any of this; however, I do hope that we can begin a conversation about how we can better educate ourselves and our local community about who we are, and about our rights. That night in front of Inferno, I remember asking the bouncer, "...if you don't understand why this rule exists, how can you follow and enforce it? Why don't you question your manager?" Ill-informed, misinformed, or uninformed communities (local, immigrant, or non-immigrant--a topic for another post) breed dangerous climates for all. This is not about simply being denied access to a bar; it is about how this denial and exclusion is one of many symptoms of a much deeper division in the US. The already highly contentious issue of immigration in this nation has been further polarized by an administration that vilifies immigrants and non-immigrants alike. The narrowing categories of populations that are "welcome" in US society has created a chilling environment for the millions that don't "make the cut"--immigrants are just one of these many marginalized groups.

So I'm asking everyone in the State College community and beyond to speak up about these issues in an effort to address harmful practices by staying informed about our rights--especially at a time when polices are shifting so rapidly. A very dear friend of mine shared an American Civil Liberties Union flyer with me on Knowing Your Rights--this is a great place to start for those of you that just want to take a quick glance. I also recommend you visit the Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic, directed by Dr. Shoba Wadhia for additional reading. I specifically urge you visit their page on Immigration After the Election. The Center for Education and Civil Rights, directed by Dr. Erica Frankenberg is also a great place to go digging for resources on fostering racial and ethnic equality and staying abreast of the related happy haps on campus and beyond. Global Programs is a decent resource when it comes to non-immigrant rights and responsibilities but they don't cater to the broader community (their focus is students) so I'd keep that in mind when you navigate their site. I'm sure you all have several ideas for other resources so I'll stop here and ask that you please use whatever platforms to which you have access, to begin sharing both local and national resources for folks to turn to.

That night we walked away swearing to never return to Inferno. It's been three years and we've kept our word.