Mistreatment of Visitor Over Passport Issue

As a frequent flier I was appalled at “Locked Up at LAX Over Passport Policy” (July 5), about the Belgian woman who was cuffed, strip-searched and sent back to Brussels. Her crime: She violated a new law in not having a passport that could be read by a machine, as it was issued in 2000.

I appreciate the necessity of the laws that have been passed as a result of 9/11, but the treatment of this lady, who was visiting this country and thus helping our economy, was deplorable at best. If individuals who implement the law don’t need to have common sense, then we should replace all of them with robots and thus help balance the budget a little more.

It is my hope that we will have a full investigation into this incident at the highest level. If the matter was reversed, and I was treated in such a manner as a U.S. citizen in another country, I doubt I would be as gracious as this individual was. We owe Noelle Lhoist an apology.

Eddie Ngo

Redlands