Travelling to the US speaking little to no english - what to do in border/customs?
Apr 15, 2016, 6:41 pm
#31
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If it's a concern, have them write down answers to questions CBP may ask: purpose of visit, duration of visit, place staying in the US, return/ongoing plane ticket information, how/what/who is providing financial support while in the US. Have a trusted friend translate all that into english and print it out and carry it. If there is a strong language barrier, that may help things go faster.
Apr 16, 2016, 3:00 am
#32
Join Date: Sep 2008
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Your initial post wasn't about expecting agents to have a second language, it was that they don't speak Spanish in NY, which is obviously wrong.
Apr 16, 2016, 4:12 pm
#33
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Apr 18, 2016, 9:02 am
#34
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I think it's almost impossible to be in NYC and not hear Spanish. I think more New Yorkers I know refer to their corner stores as bodegas than as delis.
Living in NYC or LA (and probably Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas) it's hard not to pick up enough to be able to communicate at least a little in Spanish, whether one realizes it or not. I'd expect a substantial fraction of CBP agents in a New York area airport to speak enough Spanish to ask the basic questions and decide whether to send someone to secondary either because the CBP agent couldn't quite understand the responses and wanted a better translator, or because they could and wanted them in secondary.
Living in NYC or LA (and probably Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas) it's hard not to pick up enough to be able to communicate at least a little in Spanish, whether one realizes it or not. I'd expect a substantial fraction of CBP agents in a New York area airport to speak enough Spanish to ask the basic questions and decide whether to send someone to secondary either because the CBP agent couldn't quite understand the responses and wanted a better translator, or because they could and wanted them in secondary.
Apr 18, 2016, 12:39 pm
#35
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Apr 19, 2016, 7:59 pm
#36
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I was told most CBP officers assigned to Southern California and similar regions near the southern border have mandatory Spanish language training. I don't know if these requirements apply to LAX officers as well or if it's only at border crossings.
Apr 24, 2016, 5:55 pm
#37
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