The chairman of the Polish Senate wrote to U.S. Senate leaders, “I am hurt by reports of mistreatment of our citizens.” For the first time, such a strong voice comes from Poland to American authorities. On Thursday, Longin Pastusiak, chairman of the Polish senate—the fourth most powerful person in Poland—sent an official letter to the highest ranking politicians in the United States.

In the letter, he points to high visa fees and the mistreatment of Poles at American borders. Super Express announced Pastusiak’s letter last week. For almost a year, we reported on the bad treatment of Poles at U.S. borders. Nightmarish stories about Polish citizens being handcuffed and arrested in U.S. airports have become more frequent. The Polish public is frustrated.

The Chairman’s ideas

“For some time now, I have been receiving numerous complaints from Polish citizens about the inconvenience of procedures related to arriving in the United States and applying for a U.S. visa. These reports confirm my thinking as to the inequality of freedom of travel of Polish and U.S. citizens between the two countries,” wrote Pastusiak in a letter to American politicians. He presents four solutions to resolve the situation:

1. waive visa fees (as it was between 1991-1994)

2. lower current fees for submitting visa applications

3. no charge if visa is denied

4. lowering the number of rejected visa applications for Poles

“We were happy to learn about the visa fee waiver (in 1991) for Polish citizens for tourist and business visas. This didn’t last too long—since 1994 the American side has charged fees for submitting and processing visa applications. These fees have been continously raised. Initially it was $24 and currently this fee amounts to $100,” Pastusiak said.

“I understand that as a country attractive to immigrants, the United States has a responsibility to control its border traffic. At the same time, in international relations, the rule of reciprocity applies,” emphasized the Polish politician.

He also mentioned some numbers. Last year 267,000 U.S. citizens visited Poland while 250,000 Poles arrived in the United States. Of this number, 100,000 received visas in U.S. consulates in Poland.

What irritates Pastusiak the most is that the United States charges fees for visa applicants whose visas are denied.

On average, one of three Polish citizens has his application rejected. He leaves the conuslate twice disappointed: his visa was rejected and he lost $100, points out Pastusiak.

The second problem mentioned in the letter is the mistreatment of Poles. “The reports about innaproriate treatment of our citizens during deportation procedures hurt me a lot. I believe many times, courtesy should accompany any deportation-related activities, along with respect for the dignity of the person being deported. It is justified even more because in most of these cases, the decision to deport is arbitrary and is not based on any evidence which would testify to a criminal past of the traveler,” Pastusiak wrote.

Despite his determined tone in the letter, the chairman emphasized that relations between Poland and the United States are better than ever. “They should stay this way in the future,” Patusiak concluded.

The document was sent to the most important members of the American legislature: Vice President Richard Cheney, who is the Senate president; Sen. Dennis Hastert, speaker of the House; Sen. Trent Lott, former Senate majority leader; Sen. Tom Daschle, Senate minority leader; Rep. Tom DeLay, House majority leader; and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the House.