<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by CATSA Screener:
Of course you wan waive your rights: "you have to the right to be silent"... you can still talk to them.
A cop not having PC can still ask you if he can search your car. If he doesn't have a search warrant or PC he can't search it but if you give him permission he can.
At an airport security checkpoint you can refuse permission for them to check you or your belongings at any time. The only negative result of this would be not being allowed entry into the sterile area.
[This message has been edited by CATSA Screener (edited 09-03-2003).]</font>
I do some side work in Tijuana for a friend (they manufacture tiles and decorative stones there) and do the border crossing about 2-3 times a week in my car. The catch is, i'm 23.
So, they ask what I was doing in Mex, I tell them that I work for a small manufacturer and was inspecting something that needs to be shipped up north, I also present a business card with my passport.
About half the time, they buy it with no further questions, the other half can take anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes of questioning. I often hear the same question more than twice, been asked exactly where I live, the exact address of the shop in TJ, how long I've lived in california, how long i've owned my car, when and where I've had my tires changed...
I've been asked to step out of my car, routinely open the trunk, glovebox, adjust my seats forward.
The point isn't the fact they want to know where the good deals on tires are, they're seeing if I crack and am trying to hide something. They want to see if i'm smuggling drugs. I already have probable cause, since I was crossing from Mexico into the US. A 23 year old, driving alone, in a decent (ok, a honda civic) car is enough to drive suspicion (aside from the fact i'm also a full-time student).
My assumption is that as far as TSA and customs is concerned, you're guilty until proven innocent. A simple x-ray exam is a proof of innocence. Answering questions satisfactory is another proof of innocence. My friends one time, a bit intoxicated, made the mistake of telling the customs official when they were coming back into the US "I was doing stuff in Mexico I would never plan to tell my own mother." So that little prank cost them about 3 hours and a lengthy search of their car in San Ysidro.
Point is this, they have probable cause as you're entering an enclosed tube that can and has been used as an instrument of terror, extortion and crime. Until you prove that you have no negative intent, you are offically free.
Frankly, I feel the needs of the many outweight the needs of the one or the few (thanks, Spock) and don't mind a small hassle as long as I know that they're doing their job to ensure my saftey, as best they can.