On what authority is cell phone use banned at Customs?
Jan 26, 2011, 3:14 am
#106
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CBP clerks are the ones who are checking travel documents and examining luggage of the passengers as they arrive at the airport or wherever in the airport passengers are most routinely running into CBP.
Jan 26, 2011, 5:42 am
#107
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Clerks perform administrative, non policy-making duties -- and checking travel documents and examining luggage are just that.
1 a person employed in an office or bank to keep records or accounts and to undertake other routine administrative duties.
Do CBP Officers work in offices or banks? Not usually. Not that it matters since that's enough to end the analysis, but...Do they keep records or accounts? Only incidentally to their other tasks. Do they undertake routine admin duties? Again, only incidentally.
Last edited by Deeg; Jan 26, 2011 at 5:48 am Reason: rephrase
Jan 26, 2011, 5:55 am
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Those aren't all the definitions of the word "clerk", but if clerks want to take clerical issue with the use of the word "clerk" being applied to the same, it won't be a game changer. Rather it would be much akin to terrorists not being thrilled with being called terrorists and trying to make hay out of nothing when a term is appropriately applied to them too.
CBP clerks are doing the tasks of clerks: administrative duties of a mundane, repetitive nature -- that's what immigration and customs checks are. No amount of protests about categorization as clerks is going to change the nature of the CBP clerks.
Cute edit, by the way, which went above and beyond a "rephrase" of the original.
CBP clerks are doing the tasks of clerks: administrative duties of a mundane, repetitive nature -- that's what immigration and customs checks are. No amount of protests about categorization as clerks is going to change the nature of the CBP clerks.
Cute edit, by the way, which went above and beyond a "rephrase" of the original.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jan 26, 2011 at 6:00 am
Jan 26, 2011, 7:39 am
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You may believe whatever you wish or -- at least -- try to convince others to believe whatever you fancy, but its not going to change the following: it's the uncommon CBP employee that is a clerk in the appreciable academic sense of being a "a scholar; a learned person; a man of letters"; and, rather, it's the very common CBP employee at airports that are clerks by way of performing routine daily, repeated administrative tasks that are for "dullards" as you termed them.
Jan 26, 2011, 7:57 am
#112
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Of the many countries to which I have been, most don't make a public issue with international arriving passengers using cell phones in the lines to the immigration desk, in the baggage claim hall or even when passing the "controlled" customs check-point that leads to the "landside" arrivals waiting area accessible to the general public as well.
Why a minority of these countries get all power-mad over international arrival passengers' mobile phone use when most other countries seem to make no issue of it should invite lots of question about why this kind of control-freak behavior is demanded daily by the immigration/customs clerks in some countries but apparently not as routinely "necessary" in most other countries.
Why a minority of these countries get all power-mad over international arrival passengers' mobile phone use when most other countries seem to make no issue of it should invite lots of question about why this kind of control-freak behavior is demanded daily by the immigration/customs clerks in some countries but apparently not as routinely "necessary" in most other countries.
Mar 16, 2016, 7:17 pm
#113
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For what it's worth, I recently landed on an international lgith at the new Tom Bradley terminal at LAX. The line from bag claim through the exit control was at least 20 minutes.
I saw no signs in the baggage claim area saying we couldn't use cell phones. Many of the people in the long line had their cell phones out and were using them as they moved through the line at a snail's pace. No CBP officers were going around yelling at people or trying to stop them from using their phones.
Maybe CBP has decided to give up on trying to stop people at baggage claim from using phones.
I saw no signs in the baggage claim area saying we couldn't use cell phones. Many of the people in the long line had their cell phones out and were using them as they moved through the line at a snail's pace. No CBP officers were going around yelling at people or trying to stop them from using their phones.
Maybe CBP has decided to give up on trying to stop people at baggage claim from using phones.
Mar 17, 2016, 4:14 pm
#114
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I was going through US customs in YUL in January, and while the agent was looking over my passport, I pulled out my phone to check the time. The guy yelled at me and, I kid you not, threatened to detain me and make me miss my flight! All for *looking* at my cell phone! Ahh, power trips.
Mar 17, 2016, 4:28 pm
#115
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Mobile Passport Control App Should Mean That They Won't Object to Smartphones
CBP now has a Mobile Passport Control App, where you enter info in the app before you speak with an inspector:
http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizen...ssport-control
Given that they are now encouraging travelers to pull out their phone to use the app, I would assume that they will drop their objection to use of smartphones.
http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizen...ssport-control
Given that they are now encouraging travelers to pull out their phone to use the app, I would assume that they will drop their objection to use of smartphones.
Mar 18, 2016, 12:49 pm
#116
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How much time does that actually save? My typical interaction with a CBP officer to inspect my passport is usually less than 1 minute.
Mar 19, 2016, 10:51 pm
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I was going through US customs in YUL in January, and while the agent was looking over my passport, I pulled out my phone to check the time. The guy yelled at me and, I kid you not, threatened to detain me and make me miss my flight! All for *looking* at my cell phone! Ahh, power trips.