Originally Posted by
chandi
May be it is part of the new financial package to stop the US dollars getting out of the country
Never seen this in the last two months to Australia or Europe.
Not new, it's long been law that you must declare more than $10,000 in cash when carrying it out of the country. They aren't looking for average people that might have a bit more, they are looking for people laundering money by hand carrying $100,000+ dollars.
Originally Posted by
zeppelin
This was in Honolulu outbound to Asia. She didn't pay attention to which agency it was, but she said they were definitely US government and not security guards (like the ones that compare passport to ticket on the way in). They have always had officers poking around the boarding area, but this interrogation thing is new.
-z
There are a lot of federal agencies tasked with enforcing all sorts of laws. There is a
big difference between CBP, ICE, TSA, etc. I'm no fan of the TSA at all, but they're not "security guards."
Originally Posted by
mcnett
What airport was this? What agency were they with? Was she going to Latin America? (My guess is they're trying to catch illegal immigrants returning home, as a great many have been doing lately.)
If it were USCIS or CBP, I'd refuse to answer their questions. If they were persistent, I'd have them speak with my attorney.
(Mods: should this be in Travel Safety/Security?)
Originally Posted by
mcnett
Yes, they could be fined or arrested - or at least have their overstay noted by USCIS.
And my only purpose for putting up a fight would be to make their lives difficult. I wouldn't argue with them long enough to miss my flight. (What I'm basically saying is that I don't think they'd detain me if I refused to answer, so I'd be obstinate about it. If they actually detained me I'd answer the questions.)
I appreciate your sentiment, but in all probability, the only person who's life is made more difficult is your own. CBP and ICE officers are so used to people being evasive or nervous that they aren't phased or intimidated.