letflyingbefunagain

It was from a red light cam...not even me...big international trip coming up, travelling with a small child....will pay ticket + stupid bail....but if not able to complete it, will they still let me travel?

rwmiller56

Maybe they will catch it, or maybe not...
If it happens, it will be on your return the US, when clearing Immigration & Customs.
You should really try to take care of it before you leave.

cbn42

You don't get an arrest warrant unless you don't pay or contest the ticket by the deadline. They don't just put out an arrest warrant because you got a ticket.

Ari

There is something missing here . . .

qvzn

If the ticket is recent there's probably no issue. As for something outstanding several years, that really depends on the issuing authority and how much they're pursuing it

I've seen colleagues enter the states with seemingly much more serious issues (missed court appearences, contempt, things like that) with no hiccups. YMMV

cordelli

So they put out a warrant for the wrong person, and you will pay it? Sounds like part of the story is missing here.

In any case, yes, it could cause you problems. It probably won't, but not really sure it's a risk worth taking.

You need a lawyer to handle it all for you.

letflyingbefunagain

Thanks for the responses....husband was driving car....and he was actually in right hand lane making a legal turn on red light, the cam "caught it".....wanted to contest, got busy, then they send the arrest warrant....so, yes, not paid, will try to do so, but might not be able to make it to courthouse.....

Combat Medic

That's why we have lawyers. Send a lawyer to clear it up.

AirportGuy7

You will get stopped and detained upon entering the country. The local police will be contacted. They then contact the issuing agency in the jurisdiction the warrant is out of. It is up to the issuing agency if they will extradite you or not and they notify the local police agency. that determines if you're being arrested immediately or not.

TWA884

Since the US does not have immigration exit controls, a warrant for the ticket is not likely to affect your outbound trip. It will probably pop up during the federal inspection upon return to the US. Unless you reenter the country at an airport in the same state where the warrant was issued, I doubt that you will be taken into custody at the point of entry. Most states do not initiate extradition proceedings for misdemeanors and infractions.

All that being said, take care of the ticket before you start your trip. The warrant will be removed from the system almost instantaneously.

Ari

A simple traffic warrant is they type of thing that isn't going to result in serious problems 90% of the time . . . the other 10% of the time, it can cause a real headache. It all depends on individual circumstances. The good news is that, unlike other warrants, traffic warrants can frequently be dealt with remotely just by making a payment. That will of course vary depending on individual cricumstances and jurisdiction, but usually money solves it.

This whole thing still sounds strange. Generally speaking, there are two types of traffic camera enforcement schemes. In one scheme, the driver of the vehicle is liable for any violations and the ticket carries the exact same consequences as if a police officer wrote a moving violation. In this scheme, the driver must be positively identified. Frequently this is done by reviewing the drivers license photos of those residing at the vehicle owner's address. Failure to respond to this type of ticket could result in a warrant.

In the other scheme, the vehicle owner is strictly liable for any violations irrespective of driver-- they are essentially like parking tickets. Non-payment of these tickets can have consequences, but they are civil consequences. I am unaware of any jurisdiction operating under the strict liability scheme that issues arrest warrants to vehicle owners.

So it would be surprising that a ticket issued under either scheme would yield an arrest warrant against someone other than the driver unless that person looks a lot like the driver in the photo or the issuing agency is totally careless. (The OP says "husband", so I am assuming a difference in gender though that it is not a forgone conclusion). Is it really an arrest warrant, or scary misleading boilerplate from a private traffic camera company trying to collect on a ticket because they get a cut of it.

SWCPHX

Wrong. Unless the warrant is from the local or state agency that has jurisdiction over the airport where the OP arrives at, they will probably not be aware of the outstanding warrant. This is because most agencies don't bother with putting a failure to appear on traffic violation warrant into NCIC.

AirportGuy7

Not wrong, just needed to be more thorough. Anything put into NCIC will be caught by the Feds and referred locally ...Thank you

Ari

What do you mean "referred locally"?

If a passenger has a warrant out of Texas and he lands in Chicago, CBP doesn't hand him over to the Chicago Police Department. CBP is responsible for the extradition (if that's what Texas wants).

Traffic FTAs are not put in NCIC unless the issuing agency wants to put it in-- it isn't like a felony or bench warrant.

AirportGuy7

I guess Chicago and some other states are different but that is exactly what happens in NY...they are handed to the local jurisdiction to process as a "fugitive from justice" and then extradited. Again, this only takes place IF the issuing agency says they will extradite.