Hiya, i've returned a few weeks ago from Orlando, but our flight stopped in Chicago for a few hours, where i experienced probably the most horrendous few hours of my life.

Let me start of by saying i am from the UK with a British passport but i am Indian, and hey we indians look the same as the profile of terrorists even though we're from a different country but hey it's okay, am i am fully aware as a 28 year old i deserve some extra attention, i don't really mind this. However, customs at Chicago really took me to a by gone era from the 70's in the way they spoke to my family and treated us.

Our connection time from arriving at Chicago to catching our flight to Orlando was four and a half hours, so it was plenty of time according to most agents we spoke to. However the que at immigration was incredible. Absolutley huge. People there were complaining that they had connecting flights but the one sole boy who was in charge of maintaining order in the que just ignored people. They had 6 immigration officers for the disabled, and some just sat there doing nothing. While another half was for American citizens, and that que moved quickly. But the 10 or so officers for foreigners wasn't enough, and so many people missed their connecting flights that day. Staff were slow, often serving just a few customers every half hour, and then going and laughing with their collegues and not serving anyone. Coupled this with some people pushing in, made for a torrid time.

Now, i understand this can happen at any airport, you get busy days. But what made it hard for me was i had my 3 year old with me, and my wife. We were stuck in the que for close to 2 and a half hours, which when you consider the majority of passengers through Chicago are using it as a hub airport, it isn't good enough.

Then we got to the desk. My child decided to throw an almight fit, and we couldn't get to our bags to get her basic food and drinks, or toys to entertain her. I passed my comments onto the immigration officer about how the que is ridiculous, and how you had 6 immigrations in the corner doing nothing, and that the American citizens line was viritually zero. He, and i am not joking, swore at me asking 'WAT THE f*** DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?!'.

Okay that wasn't normal. Swearing infront of a child isn't. So i told him it's just we're a little stressed with the baby, and we have a connecting flight in 90 mins. This guy who i'd seen laughing away for a few hours in the que suddenly really turned on me getting really aggresive, telling me never to come to Chicago again and that they don't want people like me (whatever that meant). I was a little taken aback.

I told him my child was probably just hungry, and he went 'SO WHAT?'. Fine i just let it drop, but the guy obviously was on a power trip, and his insults continued. He asked what nationality i

was, and i told him British. He went 'No i meant where do you come from, you're skin isn't white'. I really didn't know wether to laugh at this borderline racist comment or take offense. I was born in the UK and lived there all my life, as have my parents, even though i am or indian origin. Do they ask black people where in Africa there anscestors are from? He asks if i'm muslim. Anyways again i let it drop, perhaps he had a valid point here, i don't know. His comments just continued, and i really want to stress he was aggresive, and shouting at times! LOL!

I asked him i'd still have enough time to make my connecting flight. He went 'NO', and winked ... 'I'm going to make sure you miss it'. He winked !!!!!

So he calls over his assistant, and they have selected me for extra security. My wife and crying child come with me (even though they are okay to go through), and we are ushered into a room that resembles a jail with a bunch of foreigners where we are kept waiting for 4 hours! These foreigners we were with, like from African countries, middle east countries, all had problems with their papers, and on hearing some interviews some were jus outright lying about why they were there.

To be fair one immigration officer took pity on us and bought my child a drink. But my distraught wife wouldn't leave my side. So anyways a senior immigration officer comes over and takes me to an interview room, and reads the notes why i have been stopped. He shakes his head, and says you have a British passport, your esta is complete, why has he stopped you? I said i don't know. He shakes his head and stamps my passport.

But hey we've missed our flight. So we're upset. We walk back out of the 'holding area' and go past the original immigration officer, and i thank him for missing my flight. He laughs and WINKS AGAIN and goes 'no problem, it's one of the perks of the jobs. Never come back here.' There were other officers around who heard him but didn't bat an eyelid. I am aware of my rites in an airport, and considering taking action there and then and reporting this man for his behavior, but i honestly felt that airport had it's own set of rules and law and that if i dared say anything they'd make life for me even harder.

So we get to American Airlines desk and tell the lady what's happend. And she says it's really common with workers at the aiport who are on an ego trip, but that the airport is going to crack down on this type of behavior. The way Orlando was notorious once for rude immigration officers it has now been radically changed to fair officers who don't speak to people like trash. She says missed connections are a huge problem at the airport cos of the ques.

Anyways i took down the immigration officers name, and sent a complaint of a few weeks ago to an address i found at the airport for complaints, but have heard nothing back.

I know there's always another side to the story, and perhaps you're thinking the immigration office had his own version of events, but honestly i can't think what. I was never rude to him, i never raised my voice, never swore, wasn't argumentative. It was just an awfull experience, be carefull guys.

American airlines made us pay $50 for a hotel room, but reading on the internet while there the hotel was only $40 a night anyways! Work that out! And we left in the morning to some of the nicest immigration officers you can find in Orlando.