The Foreign Service Journal, June 2010

J U N E 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 27 F O C U S O N T H E C O N S U L A R F U N C T I O N W HY C ONSULAR I NTERVIEWS M ATTER hen adults approach the visa interview window with children that are not their own, alarm bells tend to go off in the minds of consular officers. Are the children being trafficked or smuggled? Are the parents deceased or living illegally in the United States? Do the parents even know where their children are? I still recall the day an elderly couple approached my in- terview window with children who looked like their grand- children. The couple’s soft smiles and gentle manner gave the initial impression that they were happily retired pro- fessionals. Once the interview began, they claimed to be the chess coach andmanager of the two small children, who were going to Chicago to participate in a chess tournament. Analyzing the group’s demeanor, I saw that the children did not look comfortable. Their story seemed a bit fan- tastic, as well. After all, how many subsistence farmers from faraway Gujarat would spend limited resources on chess lessons for their children and then go further into debt so that they could compete in a tournament abroad? I split the group apart and their stories could not have been further out of alignment. Even before the 7-year-old girl confirmed that she had just met the couple on the train from her village to the em- bassy in New Delhi, it was apparent that they had been paid to bring the children into the U.S. for an unknown purpose. In fact, their father and the mastermind of the plot were both waiting outside the embassy. Security per- sonnel detained the parties, and local police later arrested all of the adults involved. With that and similar incidents still fresh in my mind, I was immediately concerned when a tall American and his Persian-American wife approached my window on a very hot day in May 2008. Patrick Riley and Shahla Ettefagh had two 14-year-old Indian girls in tow. Neighbors from a slum in the Himalayan foothills, the girls stood slightly to the side of their American escorts. I knew right away that this interview would require at least a few extra questions. Politely but firmly, I requested that Patrick and Shahla take a seat as I turned my attention to the two young ladies in front of me. “Asha” and “Parvati” (not their real names) had excellent posture and were highly attentive. Had they been coached on how to behave at the interview? In response to my questions, they revealed that they had only been out of their small town once before coming to the capital. They said that the adults with themwere co- principals of the Mother Miracle School in Rishikesh — a holy city on the Ganges River — where the girls were studying math, English, computers, yoga and art. They re- V ISA OFFICERS RARELY MEET APPLICANTS AGAIN ONCE AN INTERVIEW IS OVER . B UT SOMETIMES THEY GET TO SEE THAT THEY ’ VE MADE A REAL DIFFERENCE . B Y R ICHARD S ILVER W Richard Silver recently completed his first Foreign Service tour as a vice consul in NewDelhi. A public diplomacy of- ficer, he will soon begin a rotational tour in Bogotá.