The Customs and Border Patrol interrogation room atJFK needs a makeover
Summary
A Syrian, Arab, Muslim, American architect has spent two decades getting pulled into the interrogation room at JFK, and he's got a proposal: give it a makeover. The stranger tells Kareem about flickering fluorescent lights, busted 1970s desks, and a dusty blue paint job that makes even the officers cranky. His solution? Eames chairs, snake plants, fancy wallpaper. Maybe a Turkish bath. "Good design can solve a lot of the world's problems," he says, acknowledging it won't fix systemic racism but might make the five-hour bag searches slightly less miserable. Kareem pitches a reality show concept on the spot: "Detained," a mashup of Queer Eye and Scared Straight. The idea is simple. Better conditions mean better moods, and everyone benefits when bureaucracy gets a little style.
Full Transcript
So, what's your take?
The Customs and Border Patrol interrogation room at JFK needs a makeover.
100% agree. Listen, man. I'm a Syrian, Arab, Muslim, American, taxpaying citizen. I'm a musician. I travel internationally often. And for the purposes of this take, it's important to note I'm also a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Architecture. I worked for an award-winning firm for 10 years. So, I'd like to think I have an informed opinion about this.
Oh, this is nice. Okay. So, what's—what do you not like about the room?
First of all, man, my first experience with it was like 20 years ago, post 9/11. And I remember the guy officer like this is like a 5-hour process taking all the clothes out of my bag, turning out the lining, getting really frustrated with my story, you know, and I'm like, man, I look around the room like if I had to work in such squalid conditions, I'd be pretty temperamental, too.
Also, you want to improve the conditions of the workers so they treat you better.
This is how it goes. Like, good design can solve a lot of the world's problems. I really don't know if it's going to like fix systemic racism and like racial profiling, but it can at least make the process a little more comfortable.
What does the room look like at the moment?
There's no windows. It's like flickering fluorescent lights. Busted old desks from like the 1970s. Super uncomfortable chair. I think the paint color is like a dusty blue, you know? I'm just like, man, if you just had like an EMS chair, like some snake plants.
Okay.
Fancy wallpaper.
Yeah.
Just like set the mood, you know?
Okay.
It's an opportunity for like a reality network. Like some interesting combination of Queer Eye and Scared Straight. You know what I mean? Where you can just kind of like—
It's called Detained.
Detained. I think everyone will have a much better time doing all of these bureaucratic awful government jobs.
Totally. And then in turn, they will make sure you're having a better time.
Exactly. Put a little bath house in there.
That's what we're talking about.
It would be nice if I could take a nice steam little Turkish bath.
Take a little bath with the homies.
Precisely.