Originally Posted by
FlyingBeanCounter
I have a really strange incident I could use some guidance on.
I was returning from canada to detroit via the ambassador bridge. All four of us in the car had both GE and Nexus cards. Unfortunately, three of the four had not "activated" their cards. As a result, they sent us into some sort of hell in the middle of the bridge.
It is important to note at this point that I cleared passport control - just my co passengers did not.
Upon entering the facility it was like a prison. Surly guards screaming at people to sit down and leave them alone. I started asking questions and being assertive - what can it hurt I am a US Citizen right? Well they got really upset.
Finally, when I asked politely if I could speak to the shift supervisor they decided to detain me. I got the full treatment - physical assault, pat down, the works. Of course I was 100% compliant during the process. No point in inciting low intelligence people.
After about 15 minutes in their "holding cell" I got to speak to the supervisor. Interestingly enough, they apologized for the detainment and said that it should not have happened. They chastised me for being non compliant however and insinuated it was my fault that this happened.
At this point I am incensed. I am a US citizen and these people had zero right to do what they did. It seems that this is common at this crossing as many people in the facility told my fiance that it happens all the time when they are there.
I think I want to take this to the next level and start a complaint/lawsuit or whatever I need to do. It is horrible and inexcusable they would do that to a US citizen. It is even worse that they would bully people who cannot do anything for fear of rejection for their visa.
So, any suggestions what I can do here? I know I can file a complaint on the CBP site (I did) but I am sure that will end up being a dead end. I bet I get a generic appology and some sort of write up about how to be a better border crosser. I am curious what the next steps after that should be.
People here will give you as much help as they can, but this is certainly beyond my level of expertise. Go look at immigration forums and see what you can find out. It seems to me that this sort of thing can become a critical issue for a permanent resident, because there are ways for their status to get blown up. There are some categories of criminal convictions that can blow up PR status, but maybe there are also border crossing issues that can have that effect. So I think that on an immigration forum, you will find more experience and expertise, and also a great interest in your story and a desire to figure out the best way to deal with it. As a US citizen, you are invulnerable to threats to mess up your status, so if you're willing to put up with aggravation, an immigrant advocacy group might be able to help you start some sort of formal process.