William, you're right that the border police hold the power - but, you're not correct on a lot of the assumptions in your post.

Certainly I know you're wrong about what you believe regarding Allison Crowe. The fact is she was visiting friends as well as performing. That was disclosed.

After the fact - when airport staff shocked by the over-the-top heavy-handedness of the authorities spoke with Allison and her band - they recommended to the group they'd be better off lying next time.

Obviously, that's not the answer. Still, I can understand the airline folks' frustration.

As you'll see from the news articles and other posts here, this is a problem that extends far beyond the incident involving our group. We happened to land in the middle of the same immigration confusion that's seen other international artists and academics cancel visits and/or be deported. That's the bigger issue.

There's no reason to doubt that Jacey does her job well for you and her other clients. And, for people thinking about their gigs, her service sounds well worth considering. For people who are musing on the big picture, and who don't support the discriminatory new rules and where they lead - Manick's site and petition may be a preferred stop. Why not do both!

And, sure, there's lots going wrong with immigration policies and police state tactics in my home country of Canada, and neighbouring USA. Still, both do allow independent artists to plot their own tours without having to employ agents approved by the state. And, when you get into the fingerprinting and retina scan+ demands being put on non-EU "visa nationals" it's hard to imagine a fair-minded person not becoming outraged. Small wonder one of the world's greatest classical pianists, Grigory Sokolov, viewed it as unworthy to submit.

I go back to an older-school folk ethos. Would Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger turn a blind eye to the injustice here - and just say, hey, it's not my problem - just tell me, how do I get to my gig?

TwickFolk pegged things correctly. Now, some care, and some don't.