Practical Travel Safety Issues - Using cellphones in customs

Why can't one use cellphones in customs to let the arriving party know of the delay. Wouldn't this be a great way to tell your party that there is a long line or the bag is delayed so they won't worry. Could you use your cellphone before leaving the jetbridge to let your party know you arrived safely. I mean come on charging someone a fine to use a cellphone is odd. If one can use a cellphone when taxing to the gate but not in customs this is beyond belief like anything is going to happen.

Please to follow this thread in the TS/S Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

It has once been explained to me that the two main reasons are:

1) It's a "security sensitive area" and they don't want you to shoot pics with your phone cam, or record the conversation between yourself and the Customs/Immigration agent.

2) They do not want people or drug smugglers to be able to coach a person's response.

I.e. a guy further back in the queue coaching the person being processed as to what to say or do.

Personally I think those reasons are not very good but Aussie customs explained it to me like that.

Ive used my cell phone next to the baggage claim area in the arrivals hall in
DTW with nothing being said to me. Maybe they didn't see me or just didn't care since it was a quick call to let people know I was home.

I have seen it enforced at a few places. I've seen it in DC, LAX, SFO where the person had their devices confiscated and/or been physically removed from line and taken to another area.

They're kind of inconsistent about this. I was just with my sister at Newark. I warned her not to use her cell phone, but nobody paid any attention.

I just send a text from my phone in my pocket.

They're kind of inconsistent about this. I was just with my sister at Newark. I warned her not to use her cell phone, but nobody paid any attention.

They do enjoy enforcing this rule at JFK

Why can't one use cellphones in customs to let the arriving party know of the delay. Wouldn't this be a great way to tell your party that there is a long line or the bag is delayed so they won't worry. Could you use your cellphone before leaving the jetbridge to let your party know you arrived safely. I mean come on charging someone a fine to use a cellphone is odd. If one can use a cellphone when taxing to the gate but not in customs this is beyond belief like anything is going to happen.



Some FAs are very good about specifying exactly this point. When you are arriving in the USA from an international location (except preclearance locations), you CAN use your cell phone during the taxi to the gate, but once you depart the aircraft, you cannot use it until you exit the customs hall.

I've had a couple of occasions at JFK where the bags have taken 60+ minutes to arrive, and I went into a restroom stall and called my ride to notify about the delay. I figure that if I'm out of sight, nobody will mind.

But I have witnessed people having their phones confiscated (at MIA, especially) when they are caught yammering on the phone while standing next to the baggage claim belt inside customs.

Someone should buy a cheap toy cell phone at a store and wreck a CBP officer's ego.

I always use the baggage claim area after immigration in PHL to phone AT&T to put some credit on my sim card, no one has ever mentioned that its not allowed perhaps I have just been lucky

But I have witnessed people having their phones confiscated (at MIA, especially) when they are caught yammering on the phone while standing next to the baggage claim belt inside customs.

Oddly enough.. I never see signs about this in the baggage claim room before customs at MIA and I do see people on their phones (I use mine as well).

But, there are signs before passport control.

I tend to think that the restriction is within Immigration Control. Once you exit the customs booth and into the luggage carousel area not as big of a deal. As others have indicated, much of the ban has to do with security. Also, customs wants that person to be fully ready to answer any questions from custom officiers, which would soon become very problematic if you had people chatting or texting away ont their cell phones.

Someone should buy a cheap toy cell phone at a store and wreck a CBP officer's ego.

Yeah, and that person's day will be wrecked when they are held up by CBP and have issues with immigration/re-entry from then forward. Do *NOT* mess with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

The rules are there, like them or not. There are valid reasons, believe it or not for those type of cell phone bans. Many people for decades have survived the Customs and Immigration lines without the benefits of cellphones. It's just not that serious!

The rules are there, like them or not. There are valid reasons, believe it or not for those type of cell phone bans. Many people for decades have survived the Customs and Immigration lines without the benefits of cellphones. It's just not that serious!

Of course. However, it should be explained politely as opposed to having a gestapo-like attitude by CBP. The real reason is to prevent coordinated attacks or someone communicating to someone else about a breach. i.e. "Ma'am, for security reasons, please turn off your cell phone until you clear customs for security reasons" as opposed to in a barking manner "Turn off your phone now because I say so, and I have it in this way to strengthen my ego."

I have a lot of beef against CBP mainly for bad attitude and inflated egos as opposed to policy (although I do have objections to that but don't take it out on CBP individuals). (Got bad treatment at borders with lack of professionalism before but professionalism could've made things easy while still doing their job.)

Of course. However, it should be explained politely as opposed to having a gestapo-like attitude by CBP. The real reason is to prevent coordinated attacks or someone communicating to someone else about a breach. i.e. "Ma'am, for security reasons, please turn off your cell phone until you clear customs for security reasons" as opposed to in a barking manner "Turn off your phone now because I say so, and I have it in this way to strengthen my ego."

I have a lot of beef against CBP mainly for bad attitude and inflated egos as opposed to policy (although I do have objections to that but don't take it out on CBP individuals). (Got bad treatment at borders with lack of professionalism before but professionalism could've made things easy while still doing their job.)

I have never been in a US immigrations hall and not seen clear signs throughout. I would say that 90% of the time I have heard announcements made. I would not doubt that I simply did not hear the other 10%.

CBP equated to Gestapo? Hardly.

CBP equated to Gestapo? Hardly.

Depends on the situation. I've had good treatment and bad treatment. During the bad treatment, it was mainly because the individuals doing the search had inflated egos and wanted to show off their allegedly authority.

Depends on the situation. I've had good treatment and bad treatment. During the bad treatment, it was mainly because the individuals doing the search had inflated egos and wanted to show off their allegedly authority.

alleged authority??? If I am not mistaken the CBP are Federal Law Enforcement Officers. So there authority is real. Some officers do take it to far, some are just flat out jerks inside and outside of work, and others are just chill. But you will have that in every job. Look at the TSA some think they are on the same level as police officers, some don't think they are up that high but are still just flat out rude, and others realize they are there to check make sure everyone is safe.

alleged authority??? If I am not mistaken the CBP are Federal Law Enforcement Officers. So there authority is real. Some officers do take it to far, some are just flat out jerks inside and outside of work, and others are just chill. But you will have that in every job. Look at the TSA some think they are on the same level as police officers, some don't think they are up that high but are still just flat out rude, and others realize they are there to check make sure everyone is safe.

Yes. Not sure where all of the "alleged" nonsense is coming from. Perhaps because now the TSA wear badges but have no LEO authority, now people believe that anybody wearing a badge has no authority.

CBP are law Enforcement Officers.

There was a couple of month period where some people questioned whether older personnel hired before 2003 had LEO authority but that was cleared up in 2003 when a memo was released clarifying that all CBP personnel were in fact LEO's. Remember that previous CBP personnel were FLETC grads anyway.

If you have a Blutooth equipped phone and have the ear thingy on your ear, how can the phone police tell if you are using the phone or not?

AFAIK, just having the equipment is not illegal, although I can see the reasons for not wanting people to use it in the immegrations hall.

DD

Yes. Not sure where all of the "alleged" nonsense is coming from. Perhaps because now the TSA wear badges but have no LEO authority, now people believe that anybody wearing a badge has no authority.

CBP are law Enforcement Officers.

There was a couple of month period where some people questioned whether older personnel hired before 2003 had LEO authority but that was cleared up in 2003 when a memo was released clarifying that all CBP personnel were in fact LEO's. Remember that previous CBP personnel were FLETC grads anyway.


Absolutely. CBP officers are sworn federal law enforcement officers with full arrest powers just like any others (FBI, Secret Service, etc.). They just have an arguably more difficult job because they are tasked with enforcing hundreds of federal laws upon arriving and departing travelers by making constant on-the-spot judgment calls about who to search and who to release without a search.

In fact, because many CBP officers work at ports of entry, they have BROADER powers that most other federal sworn law enforcement officers because CBP officers can search your person and your possessions at the point of entry without a warrant.

They do enjoy enforcing this rule at JFK

I've had issues with this at JFK also.. it is insane.. while waiting for my baggage.. I called to let my family know that it was taking some time.. and i was approached by the "officer" and told that if i didn't shut off my phone it would be confiscated.

what a joke.

Yeah, and that person's day will be wrecked when they are held up by CBP and have issues with immigration/re-entry from then forward. Do *NOT* mess with Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

The rules are there, like them or not. There are valid reasons, believe it or not for those type of cell phone bans. Many people for decades have survived the Customs and Immigration lines without the benefits of cellphones. It's just not that serious!

True. Yet at the same time this country has not only survived but prospered without having draconian provisions in order to enter ones home country.

I've never heard a sign or heard an announcement at SFO re using a cell phone, and have used it many times before and after immigrtion without incident.

For you lawyers out there - seems to me that absent a statute or published Federal Regulation (CFR), there is no legal authority to generally prohibit cell phone use. I would be interested in what people think about the legal issue (yes, I know they do what they want, the law be damned.)

alleged authority??? If I am not mistaken the CBP are Federal Law Enforcement Officers. So there authority is real.

Yes, but generally speaking, they act like pigs and need to be brought down a notch or five. I do not recognize their authority or jurisdiction over me and I expect any freedom minded person would think the same way.

I just flew DEL-ORD yesterday. The FA mentioned the "no cell phone" rules and said there were clear signs in the arrivals hall. I remember seeing those signs a couple years ago when I last flew in to ORD internationally, and last year at IAD when I arrived. But there were no "No Cell Phone" signs at the ORD customs area yesterday.

I didn't have anyone to call, so I didn't much care. My phone doesn't get any service in the arrivals hall, anyway.

I have seen it enforced at a few places. I've seen it in DC, LAX, SFO where the person had their devices confiscated and/or been physically removed from line and taken to another area.

As far as I know, there is no customs facility in DCA. I think you meant Dulles or BWI. I have seen people being told to stop using cell phones, as well as being warned about confiscation, but have never seen cell phones being confiscated.

I tend to think that the restriction is within Immigration Control. Once you exit the customs booth and into the luggage carousel area not as big of a deal. As others have indicated, much of the ban has to do with security. Also, customs wants that person to be fully ready to answer any questions from custom officiers, which would soon become very problematic if you had people chatting or texting away ont their cell phones.

Luggage carosel area is before the customs. I can see the reason for not allowing people to be yacking on their cell phones while talking to the immigration officer or the customs officer. But I don;t se any reason why one cannot make a call to inform their greeters how long it would be before they exit the controlled areas.

I just send a text from my phone in my pocket.

You must be really good at texting.

One reason for the ban on cell phones is that smugglers (which includes drug runners), in many instances work in teams; so if one of them is caught, they can tip off a member who is waiting (outside the customs area).

I've had issues with this at JFK also.. it is insane.. while waiting for my baggage.. I called to let my family know that it was taking some time.. and i was approached by the "officer" and told that if i didn't shut off my phone it would be confiscated.

what a joke.

I bet they dont give it back at the end of the day like we do in school :D:D

I just send a text from my phone in my pocket.

You must be really good at texting.

Maybe he has an 11th finger down there?

I've seen this happen at ORD, but at the entrance to the Immigration lines. Prior to the lines and in baggage claim, no one seemed to have an issue with cell phones.

The bigger issue at ORD is lack of foreign language signage (thank you, Mayor Daley and cronies) and CBP officers who shout in English, "No cell phones! US citizens to the right!" And he gets louder when non-English-speaking people clearing have no idea what he is saying. Yep, talk louder and slower and they will understand... :rolleyes: Welcome to America, folks...

Of course. However, it should be explained politely as opposed to having a gestapo-like attitude by CBP. The real reason is to prevent coordinated attacks or someone communicating to someone else about a breach. i.e. "Ma'am, for security reasons, please turn off your cell phone until you clear customs for security reasons" as opposed to in a barking manner "Turn off your phone now because I say so, and I have it in this way to strengthen my ego."

By that rationale, the customs agent should have to explain each and every procedure and piece of what they are doing in each and every part of the immigration area. Should we spend incrementally increasing amounts of money so that people can be individually shepherded through the entire customs process? How about a 5 minute explanation of the different lines including a detailed description of what the visa waiver countries are, permanent residents are, etc. Maybe a 10 minute lecture on what information systems they use.

It's for security. That's all the explanation that is needed. The process, generally, isn't that long and if you're that important that you can't possibly afford to not use your phone for 20 minutes then you'd be flying on a private jet.

There are tons of things you do when flying that are explained by blanket statements. For instance, it's the policy that you keep your seat belts fastened while flying. Do the pilots really need to go into the physics of clear sky turbulance? It's the law that you obey the FA instructions. Do they need to declare the exact legislation/rules that make it so? Should they outline each and every possible reason why this is so?

The problem here isn't the ego of the immigration officers. It's the ego of the people complaining about this.

FYI, even my local coffee shop asks that you not use your phone while in the lineup.

By that rationale, the customs agent should have to explain each and every procedure and piece of what they are doing in each and every part of the immigration area.

Uhm, no. Asking CBP agents to be polite does not equal hand-holding. It means they are polite to people arriving in our country to spend money.

There are tons of things you do when flying that are explained by blanket statements. For instance, it's the policy that you keep your seat belts fastened while flying.

And such statements are often made politely. Wow, what a concept.

The problem here isn't the ego of the immigration officers. It's the ego of the people complaining about this.

^

By that rationale, the customs agent should have to explain each and every procedure and piece of what they are doing in each and every part of the immigration area.

Strawman. A courteous, one-sentence explanation will work for 95% of people. The rest can either be handled with polite refusal, or, if time permits, actually answering the question.

"Because I said so" doesn't work on my kids. I'm not sure why it should work on perfect strangers.

There are tons of things you do when flying that are explained by blanket statements. For instance, it's the policy that you keep your seat belts fastened while flying. Do the pilots really need to go into the physics of clear sky turbulance?

No. But when I flew last week, every reference to the seat belt rule was accompanied by an explanation dealing with safety.

"When we have reached a safe cruising altitude, the captain may choose to turn off the fasten-seatbelt-sign. That will be your signal that it is safe to move about the cabin."

"[Ding!] The captain has turned off the fasten-seatbelt-sign. For your own safety, we ask that you continue to fasten your seatbelts while seated."

And, of course, the unscripted remark:

"Captain from the flight deck here. We're about to hit a patch of turbulence, so I'm going to go ahead and turn the seatbelt sign back on [ding!]. Please return to your seats."

See? In-flight communications offer explanations all the time. There's no reason why folks on the ground can't do the same.

It's the law that you obey the FA instructions. Do they need to declare the exact legislation/rules that make it so? Should they outline each and every possible reason why this is so?

Look, most people don't need chapter-and-verse. A simple reminder of the reasons will suffice for just about everyone ... which is what is usually provided, by the way.


The problem here isn't the ego of the immigration officers. It's the ego of the people complaining about this.

Beg to differ ... there's lots of ego to go around. And, ironically, one of the best ways to diffuse a stuffed ego is excessive politeness and courtesy.


FYI, even my local coffee shop asks that you not use your phone while in the lineup.

Well, that deserves the death penalty. ;)

Yes, but generally speaking, they act like pigs and need to be brought down a notch or five. I do not recognize their authority or jurisdiction over me and I expect any freedom minded person would think the same way.


Wow, that is a strong statement. You sound like you have an anti-authority complex. You may not "recognize" their authority or jurisdiction, but the US Government does. IF they "act like pigs", then take mental note of their name, and file a written complaint, after the fact.

Yes, but generally speaking, they act like pigs and need to be brought down a notch or five. I do not recognize their authority or jurisdiction over me and I expect any freedom minded person would think the same way.

This has not been my experience. I have passed through immigraton in the U.S. many, many times and at the worst experienced a little taciturnity. Many have been quite pleasant. I had a very nice chat with one of the agricultural inspection staffers while she was checking the canned meats that I was bringing in about what was banned and why.

This is not to say that bad apples don't exist. I have no doubt that they do, like they do in many professions. It is also not to say that if there is a bad apple in this job, it is a particularly bad situation because the do have a lot of authority.

...It's for security. That's all the explanation that is needed. ....

So true. They gave the same simple explanation in Germany when they handed out those yellow stars.

I have been screamed at and manhandled at several airports for using my cellphone in the (long) immigration line or waiting for my bags, including when just doing email on my Blackberry. I was told 'security' every time, and when I asked why, I was either threatened with arrest or told 'terrorists can set off bombs with cellphones' (I assume they could do this covertly, so preventing people doing emails doesn't seem to deliver much additional security). Ditto for smuggling gangs - you wouldn't have to call your accomplices overtly, just speed-dial a warning buzz from your pocket (or the restroom).

This is just yet more 'security theatre', opression and 'just-in case' knee-jerk BS.

(BTW, I also do not represent 'a security threat' who is 'this close to being arrested' when I politely ask the TSA person not to drop my PDA on the floor when she is searching my stuff.)

There are posted signs along the way, as one makes his way from the aircraft, into the immigration/customs area. It is noted that cell phones use are not allowed in the examination areas and there should be a drawing of a cellphone with a red circle and a line drawn through it.

Maybe I'm old (well, I'm not that old) but I recall people waiting to pick up passengers can check the monitors; the flight in question should indicate "arrived" when it is on the ground. I think the problem is we live in an age where we feel compelled to do things fast. We forget that at one time there were no cellphones; and when there were, they were huge, bigger than a Radio Shack walkie-talkie.

Remember too, customs have lookout lists for people who are coming in on certain flights. They already know who to look for. Having someone waiting on the other side giving tips to an arriving passenger can compromise the inspection.

This has not been my experience. I have passed through immigraton in the U.S. many, many times and at the worst experienced a little taciturnity. Many have been quite pleasant. I had a very nice chat with one of the agricultural inspection staffers while she was checking the canned meats that I was bringing in about what was banned and why.

I guess you must not have many Middle Eastern stamps in your passport. Try going in with stamps from Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and several Gulf countries... big hassle almost every time. I have had them ask me who every contact in my phone is.

Last time in ORD, waited over an hour to get through immigration. No one seemed to care about texting/emailing w/ blackberries (using mine to check flight status to see if I'd make my connection). In most of the hall there wasn't service any way.

I guess you must not have many Middle Eastern stamps in your passport. Try going in with stamps from Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and several Gulf countries... big hassle almost every time. I have had them ask me who every contact in my phone is.

For kicks, erase your contact list next time.