one visitor's reported experience with TSA questions
Nov 25, 2011, 6:31 pm
#16
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
In case anyone doubts the story as it was told, I can definitely confirm that this is exactly how Immigration operates. We had a very similar case within our family and the same exact thing happened. Unfortunately the outcome with us was less positive. The person was handcuffed, jailed overnight and sent back to Japan the next day
Nov 26, 2011, 7:50 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SE Asia
Posts: 647
In case anyone doubts the story as it was told, I can definitely confirm that this is exactly how Immigration operates. We had a very similar case within our family and the same exact thing happened. Unfortunately the outcome with us was less positive. The person was handcuffed, jailed overnight and sent back to Japan the next day
Great job, DHS!!
Nov 26, 2011, 9:12 am
#18
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: California. USA
Posts: 1,404
About 10 years I lived in Santa Monica, CA. So LAX is the airport.
My then 17 year old daugther was coming to USA for for the holidays with her younger brother.
They both studied in Sweden at the time. She had a 10 year visa issued by the embassy in Stockholm. The reason for that was that she visited me alot between school and holidays. So the embassy thought that would make things easier for her coming to USA.
Her brother had no visa.
She got stopped and interogated for an hour. They did not talk at all to her brother.
The reason for all the question was that she could not answer why I had move from San diego up to Santa Monica.
She was tired after a loong flight plus english is not her first language.
And since then do parents have to tell their minors why they move.
She started crying being scared of their bullying her.
After a while they came out to talk to me. I told them that I moved because I wanted to. And could not understand why my daugther would know all the details about that.
My then 17 year old daugther was coming to USA for for the holidays with her younger brother.
They both studied in Sweden at the time. She had a 10 year visa issued by the embassy in Stockholm. The reason for that was that she visited me alot between school and holidays. So the embassy thought that would make things easier for her coming to USA.
Her brother had no visa.
She got stopped and interogated for an hour. They did not talk at all to her brother.
The reason for all the question was that she could not answer why I had move from San diego up to Santa Monica.
She was tired after a loong flight plus english is not her first language.
And since then do parents have to tell their minors why they move.
She started crying being scared of their bullying her.
After a while they came out to talk to me. I told them that I moved because I wanted to. And could not understand why my daugther would know all the details about that.
Nov 26, 2011, 4:12 pm
#19
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 7,605
Nov 26, 2011, 4:50 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
I try to learn something new every day. Today, you helped.
Nov 27, 2011, 8:27 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Salish Sea
Programs: DL,AC,HH,PC
Posts: 8,974
Small c consultant: someone with a briefcase in a distant city who borrows your watch to tell you what time it is then gives you a big bill. (I were one
)
Nov 27, 2011, 1:45 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Consultant: Someone at least 200 miles from home with a Power Point presentation.
Consultant: Unemployed, but freelancing to buy groceries.
Consultant: Self-unemployed.
I still be one. After 21 years I am still self-unemployed.
Nov 28, 2011, 10:23 am
#23
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: CVG/DAY
Programs: DL 2.945MM/Gold, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 386
Consultant: Someone that borrows your watch to tell you what time it is and then keeps the watch.
Consultant: Someone at least 200 miles from home with a Power Point presentation.
Consultant: Unemployed, but freelancing to buy groceries.
Consultant: Self-unemployed.
I still be one. After 21 years I am still self-unemployed.
Consultant: Someone at least 200 miles from home with a Power Point presentation.
Consultant: Unemployed, but freelancing to buy groceries.
Consultant: Self-unemployed.
I still be one. After 21 years I am still self-unemployed.
Dec 1, 2011, 7:20 am
#24
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Programs: KL Gold, SQ KF Gold, CX Green
Posts: 9,418
Been doing some thinking about this and how to make the US border seem more friendly to foreign visitors.
First, I'm not sure why our immigrations officers have to be actual armed LEOs. I can see having a few armed officers on hand, but not doing the questioning. Young testosterone filled males with guns fresh out of the academy do not need to be working the booths at the airports. These people should be older, more worldly, possibly retired schoolteachers. The young guns fresh out of the academy can work the southern border until they've grown up a bit.
Second, anyone working the immigration booths should first do a round-the-world trip and experience how other nations do it. Not saying that all other countries do it right and we do it wrong, but it would be nice to have some perspective.
Third, any agent who accumulates 'rudeness' complaints should be able to be fired on the spot. All interactions with incoming passengers should be recorded and available as evidence to both the government and the traveler.
Lastly, there should be at each port an appellate authority who can overrule the decision of any agent. Also, it should be illegal for the immigration agent to hold or question any passenger beyond 15 minutes without being able to articulate some sort of reasonable suspicion to a magistrate (or said appellate authority).
First, I'm not sure why our immigrations officers have to be actual armed LEOs. I can see having a few armed officers on hand, but not doing the questioning. Young testosterone filled males with guns fresh out of the academy do not need to be working the booths at the airports. These people should be older, more worldly, possibly retired schoolteachers. The young guns fresh out of the academy can work the southern border until they've grown up a bit.
Second, anyone working the immigration booths should first do a round-the-world trip and experience how other nations do it. Not saying that all other countries do it right and we do it wrong, but it would be nice to have some perspective.
Third, any agent who accumulates 'rudeness' complaints should be able to be fired on the spot. All interactions with incoming passengers should be recorded and available as evidence to both the government and the traveler.
Lastly, there should be at each port an appellate authority who can overrule the decision of any agent. Also, it should be illegal for the immigration agent to hold or question any passenger beyond 15 minutes without being able to articulate some sort of reasonable suspicion to a magistrate (or said appellate authority).
In addition, it would help if all American children would learn at school that, yes, the US is a very nice country, but no, it is not the best country in the world, and there are lots of other countries that are also very nice.
