Now American men who wish to pursue a legal
activity must release their government files
to a foreign business and foreign individuals
for their personal benefit.
(Note: The act's language is gender-neutral
but its clear purpose is to protect foreign
women from predatory American men. Application
to "male-order husbands" would be incidental
as such 'brides' are relatively rare.)
The disclosure requirement is detailed under
the provision entitled "Obligations of International
Marriage Broker With Respect to Mandatory Collection
of Information."
An international broker cannot provide contact
or general information on a foreign woman to
an American man unless that broker first collects
and discloses to the woman the following information
about the man:
— Every state of residence since the
age of 18;
— Current or previous marriages as
well as how and when they terminated;
— Information on children under 18;
— Any arrest or conviction related
to controlled substances, alcohol or prostitution,
making no distinction on arrests not leading
to conviction;
— Any court orders, including temporary
restraining orders, which are notoriously easy
to procure;
— Any arrest or conviction for crimes
ranging from "homicide" to "child neglect";
— Any arrest or conviction for "similar
activity in violation of Federal, State or local
criminal law" without specifying what "similar"
means.
U.S. law will provide foreign women with
extensive government information on American
suitors that is not similarly offered to American
women — which it shouldn't it be either.
Contacting a woman for romantic purposes
— internationally or domestically —
is not a crime. Those who do so are not a priori
criminals who must prove themselves innocent
before being allowed an e-mail exchange.
How many American men will be impacted by
the IMBA?
According to Larsen, between 8,000 and 12,000
American men find foreign wives through for-profit
brokers each year. Presumably, a considerably
higher number attempt, but fail to find a wife
who successfully emigrates.
Next to no statistics are available on how
many "mail-order" marriages are happy.
A report on "the problem" by CBS accurately
states, "No firm statistics exist on the extent
of abuse suffered by mail-order brides, or even
the numbers of such women."
The few media accounts that provided background
for the IMBA referred to two "mail-order brides"
who were murdered: Anastasia King in 2000 and
Susanna Blackwell in 1995.
The murders are deplorable, but no solid
foundation of data underlies Cantwell's claim
of "a growing epidemic of domestic abuse among
couples who meet through a broker."
There is no reason to believe that violence
against "mail-order brides" is higher than against
women in general. No evidence supports the criminalization
of every American man who looks overseas for
a wife.
And, yet, such men are easy targets. Men
who seek wives abroad often explicitly state
that women here are not worth marrying because
they are too independent, ruined by feminism
or "fill in the pejorative blank." If some of
those ideal wives subsequently say "goodbye"
at the first glimpse of a green card, I can't
muster much sympathy.
What I do sympathize with, however, are the
privacy rights of people who are considered
guilty until proven innocent. This is especially
true when a government violates the privacy
of its own citizens to benefit foreign individuals.
What view of the American man does the IMBA
broadcast to the world? American men are so
predatory and violent that the U.S. government
must protect foreign women by providing police
checks before allowing the men to say "hello."
The "Ugly American" has become an
article of federal law, supported by Congress.
By Wendy McElroy
