Originally Posted by
entilzhaFT
So what do they do if they find porn? I mean, young children are obvious, but how do they tell 16 vs 18? Or what about good 'ol American products from there in greater LA?
The officers themselves cannot make the decision whether or not it's child porn, even if the "actors" are obviously below the age of 18. That requires a special agent. However, the officers can detain the items in question until a special agent can review the items. If the items are detained and found to be acceptable, they will send your items back to you with no direct cost to you.
Originally Posted by
Teacher49
They could have confiscated the laptop. You have very few rights at customs - I am not sure what if any at all you do have. For example, I would be curious to know if you have the right to keep your stuff in sight and to limit the number of people going through your things at one time in the name of keeping control of your property. Anyone know for sure about that?
There are certain situations where you would not be allowed to have
all off your belongings with you or even in your view. But you should be able to at least be close to your valuables: wallet, purse, laptop, etc. Usually one officer is involved in the search, but for those that have more than let's say five big boxes, they'd probably use more than one officer.