Customs Search of Clergyman

The U.S. Customs Service sincerely regrets any inconvenience that Anglican Bishop Dinis Sengulane from Mozambique may have experienced during his arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, as reported in your editorial “What’s Going on Here?” (March 19). It is a sad and unfortunate commentary on our society today that ministers should even be suspected of concealing contraband, yet customs has encountered scores of bona-fide and bogus clergy members of many denominations who have attempted to smuggle contraband through our ports of entry in recent years.

Your editorial only told one side of Bishop Sengulane’s story, and we hope you will correct the record to reflect several considerations that led customs to perform a “pat-down” search of Mr. Sengulane, not a “body search” as stated in the editorial. A pat down for weapons is a standard law enforcement procedure for the protection of the officers.

First, he was wearing a clerical collar, but he did not identify himself as a bishop upon his arrival at LAX.

Second, the customs search was conducted by customs inspectors, not our special agents. As their designation would imply, inspectors are trained to courteously and effectively inspect the passenger in order to determine whether he is one of the millions of honest law-abiding travelers who pass through customs every year, or whether he is only disguised as such, in order to smuggle contraband into the United States. Contrary to the opinions expressed in your editorial, customs can ill afford in today’s climate of drug trafficking to rely upon “an honest face,” or the clerical status claimed by a traveler as the criterion for clearance. Our inspectors look for more tangible signs using constantly changing criteria based on intelligence and on recent seizures customs has made from others with similar itineraries and appearance.

Third, we contend that a 15-minute interview of a traveler may be inconvenient to the passenger, however, it is necessary in order to reduce the potential for smuggling that would exist if we did not attempt to identify travelers who trade in illegal drugs.

It would be a mistake to conclude that customs singles out members of the clergy as potential smugglers because of a few bad apples. However, we do strive to apply the laws in a fair and uniform manner.

QUINTIN L. VILLANEUVA JR.

Pacific Regional Commissioner

U.S. Customs Service, Los Angeles