Odeh Mutawe Korian was late for his deportation hearing. His brother and an interpreter sat ill at ease in the chamber where the immigration judge and the government prosecutor exchanged annoyed glances as the minutes ticked by. At 9:15 A.M., fifteen minutes late, an unshaven, disheveled little man rushed in followed by two Immigration Service agents, nodded curtly at no one in particular, and slumped into a chair. He stared morosely at a spot on the table before him.

“Please remove your hat,” the judge said. The little man reached up to tear off his beret without shifting his gaze, avoiding all the eyes fixed upon him.