Regional Customs director Brian Humphrey said his agency could issue the workers temporary permits allowing them to enter the U.S., similar to those sometimes used by cruise ships employees. But he added that option would be “administratively cumbersome.” And so these crew members aren’t even allowed to land at the airport in Honolulu.
“There really is no purpose for them to come to the U.S. or for them to have a visa because they really don’t have any intention of setting foot on shore,” Humphrey said.
As a result, the men are first put on planes at home, and then hopscotched from country to country across thousands of miles. A typical route could go from Indonesia to Australia to Fiji to Western Samoa to American Samoa. Some pass through Amsterdam. Others end up in Mexico or Panama. They’re then picked up by American captains for the 10- to 20-day sail to Honolulu.
Some fishermen have even been made to leap into the sea. In one video shown to AP, men swam from one boat to another through tossing waves, clutching their belongings in plastic bags.
It used to be easier. Before Sept. 11, the men came on planes. But the terror attacks spurred a national crackdown on foreigners entering the country. As an unintended consequence, the workers now reach U.S. docks with minimal government vetting, creating greater security risks.
“We’ve been stuck in this hellhole,” said Jim Cook, a longtime leader in the commercial fishery who co-owns several vessels, a supply store and a seafood restaurant at Pier 38. “It’s a very complicated system that doesn’t work well for anybody, not the boat owner, not Customs and Border Protection. And the potential for mischief is far greater.”