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Originally Posted by goaliemn
(Post 11728990)
When I was a student and drove up to Canada for a long weekend, Canadian Customs turned me back, and said I had to bring $400 cash with me to prove I could support myself over the weekend. Having acouple of credit cards wasn't good enough for them. I found an ATM that would give me that much, went back and they let me in. When I left Canada, I still had all $400, as I used my credit cards for everything.
Pretty much any country can ask for anything. |
Originally Posted by goaliemn
(Post 11728990)
When I was a student and drove up to Canada for a long weekend, Canadian Customs turned me back, and said I had to bring $400 cash with me to prove I could support myself over the weekend. Having acouple of credit cards wasn't good enough for them. I found an ATM that would give me that much, went back and they let me in. When I left Canada, I still had all $400, as I used my credit cards for everything.
Pretty much any country can ask for anything. I've had nothing but poor experiences entering Canada. All of the CBP officers were young males who seemed to be getting off on the 'respect my authority...I'm a cop' kick. People like that should not be allowed in customer service roles until they grow up a little and learn how to do their jobs respectfully. |
Originally Posted by GITU
(Post 11725525)
I'm a grad student and don't work. I was recently asked when I told them my occupation was "student" how I afford such holidays (as they flipped through my book). I told them I "saved" - but is CBP allowed to ask? To what extent? I don't feel like telling them my personal business, and getting into a discussion of my personal finances.
Thanks! I got pulled over one night very late after working a live radio broadcast at a bar in Chicago. I was so tired from working a 10 hour day adn then a live broadcast from 11PM to 1 AM that I was really drowsy and took too long to get moving after the light turned green. If you spend several hours at a bar, you are going to smell like cigarettes and alcohol, no matter what you do. When the officer pulled me over, smelled my clothing and all of my equipment in the jeep (from ten feet away I would imagine) and decided that I was drunk. The only problem was, I hadn't had a thing to drink in six hours since we were not permitted to drink on duty and I'd had one jack and coke hours and hours perviously. He administered a field sobriety test. I passed. He had me do a portable breathalyzer. I blew a 0.0. He recalibrated it and it was another 0.0. He asked me where I had been and I gave the name of the bar and showed him my business card that identified me as a broadcast engineer from a downtown radio station. He asked me had I been drinking and I told him yes, then told him exactly what and exactly when. He clearly thought I was lying. Then he started asking me where I got all the equipment from and did I own it. That's when I told him that I wasn't going to answer any more questoins wihtout an attorney present. He told me I wasn't under arrest so there was no need to lawyer up, and I told him that he might not see a need, but I did. A shift supervisor was called. They asked to search the vehicle and I refused and told them if they wanted to search it, they could damn well wake a judge up and get a warrant. They called a drug dog who didn't alert on anything. Frustrated beyond belief that I wasn't drunk but just smelled of a distillery/brewery, I finally asked them if they were going to charge me with a crime or not. They dscussed it, decided that I wasnt drunk, just physically exhausted, let me go and told me to "drive safe". I went home and showered and went to work. That nonsense cost me the four hours of sleep I might have gotten since two hours' sleep is worse than none at all. I verbally abused them on the air that morning and we fielded four hours of stories of intrusive police questions. Could I have just answered his questions? Yes. Would I have been cut loose two hours earlier than I was? Almost certainly. But when the deputy started asking questions that suggested that I stole the broadcast gear, I decided eogh was enough. I dug my heels in, they dug their heels in, and we all had a big d*** contest until they couldn't possibly justify holding me any longer. Sometimes you have to raise some dust. You have to be willing to be inconvenienced to stand up for what is right. Only you can make that choice for yourself. Governments will always push their limits, and if you don't push back, they will get the authority because they have taken the authority. At no time was I rude, abusive, profane or violent. I just calmly made it clear that we weren't going any further down that road. Here's the kicker: I used to be in police work and I am a HUGE supporter of the cops! A very, very wise woman once told me that "A clear conscience is the softest pillow". If you have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong then you don't have anything to worry about, once it all gets sorted out. That may take some time but it will get sorted out. The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is in such a situation, before you say or do anything, ask yourself: How would a judge view your actions? If you think a judge or a jury of your peers would see them as reasonable, go ahead. If you think you would not like a judge or jury to know what you are about to do, don't do it. I'm quite certain that every deputy that night thought I was the biggest jacka** in Illinos that night, and maybe I was. But the questioning had gone beyond what I felt was reasonable and I put a stop to it. So goes the CBIP. At some one point, you have to decid what is too much. What you do to earn money is none of their business. Search my stuff all you want but if you don't find anything, let me back into my country or let's all have at it in court. --PP |
Originally Posted by PHLflying
(Post 11725565)
Yep, they can but I'd personally be keeping it to some variety of "i've acquired my money through legal means"
--PP |
What I would have answered is, "Am I required to answer that question? I don't feel entirely comfortable with the topic." If the officer replies that you must answer, then they are lying and you would need to call a supervisor. My guess is that as a US Citizen, they would not lie about this because 1) they would easily be caught, and 2) they are going to have to let you enter regardless of any legal answer.
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Originally Posted by VideoPaul
(Post 11730174)
They can ask you just about anything they want to. My answer would have been "Tax refunds". Either that or "I'm sorry, I don't discuss my finances with people outside my family." Might it cause you a hassle? Maybe. You have to decide if avoiding a hassle is more important than your privacy being invaded. For me, yes, I'm willing to spend hours an hours giving name, DOB and social security number to prove a point. You may not feel that way. I do.
I got pulled over one night very late after working a live radio broadcast at a bar in Chicago. I was so tired from working a 10 hour day adn then a live broadcast from 11PM to 1 AM that I was really drowsy and took too long to get moving after the light turned green. If you spend several hours at a bar, you are going to smell like cigarettes and alcohol, no matter what you do. When the officer pulled me over, smelled my clothing and all of my equipment in the jeep (from ten feet away I would imagine) and decided that I was drunk. The only problem was, I hadn't had a thing to drink in six hours since we were not permitted to drink on duty and I'd had one jack and coke hours and hours perviously. He administered a field sobriety test. I passed. He had me do a portable breathalyzer. I blew a 0.0. He recalibrated it and it was another 0.0. He asked me where I had been and I gave the name of the bar and showed him my business card that identified me as a broadcast engineer from a downtown radio station. He asked me had I been drinking and I told him yes, then told him exactly what and exactly when. He clearly thought I was lying. Then he started asking me where I got all the equipment from and did I own it. That's when I told him that I wasn't going to answer any more questoins wihtout an attorney present. He told me I wasn't under arrest so there was no need to lawyer up, and I told him that he might not see a need, but I did. A shift supervisor was called. They asked to search the vehicle and I refused and told them if they wanted to search it, they could damn well wake a judge up and get a warrant. They called a drug dog who didn't alert on anything. Frustrated beyond belief that I wasn't drunk but just smelled of a distillery/brewery, I finally asked them if they were going to charge me with a crime or not. They dscussed it, decided that I wasnt drunk, just physically exhausted, let me go and told me to "drive safe". I went home and showered and went to work. That nonsense cost me the four hours of sleep I might have gotten since two hours' sleep is worse than none at all. I verbally abused them on the air that morning and we fielded four hours of stories of intrusive police questions. Could I have just answered his questions? Yes. Would I have been cut loose two hours earlier than I was? Almost certainly. But when the deputy started asking questions that suggested that I stole the broadcast gear, I decided eogh was enough. I dug my heels in, they dug their heels in, and we all had a big d*** contest until they couldn't possibly justify holding me any longer. Sometimes you have to raise some dust. You have to be willing to be inconvenienced to stand up for what is right. Only you can make that choice for yourself. Governments will always push their limits, and if you don't push back, they will get the authority because they have taken the authority. At no time was I rude, abusive, profane or violent. I just calmly made it clear that we weren't going any further down that road. Here's the kicker: I used to be in police work and I am a HUGE supporter of the cops! A very, very wise woman once told me that "A clear conscience is the softest pillow". If you have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong then you don't have anything to worry about, once it all gets sorted out. That may take some time but it will get sorted out. The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is in such a situation, before you say or do anything, ask yourself: How would a judge view your actions? If you think a judge or a jury of your peers would see them as reasonable, go ahead. If you think you would not like a judge or jury to know what you are about to do, don't do it. I'm quite certain that every deputy that night thought I was the biggest jacka** in Illinos that night, and maybe I was. But the questioning had gone beyond what I felt was reasonable and I put a stop to it. So goes the CBIP. At some one point, you have to decid what is too much. What you do to earn money is none of their business. Search my stuff all you want but if you don't find anything, let me back into my country or let's all have at it in court. --PP Another time, when I working a press photographer in New Jersey, I joined some work colleagues at a bar for a few drinks at happy hour, and wasn't on my way home until close to midnight. Literally 20 meters from my house, they set up a sobriety checkpoint. I stopped. The officer said "good evening". I looked down at my watch. The time was 0:02, so I said "good morning!". He asked if I had "anything to drink". I said yes. He asked, "how much?" I replied, "I've lost count". He asked "where do you live?", I pointed to my house (we were almost right outside) and said "right there!" He said, "I want you to park your car in that driveway, and I don't want to see that car leave the driveway until tomorrow noon" (this was early on Saturday). So you never know. Sometime you do nothing and they try to bust you. Other times you are obviously guilty and they let you go. No simple solutions, but I find the less time I spend in automobiles, the simpler life gets. |
Originally Posted by VideoPaul
(Post 11730174)
They can ask you just about anything they want to. My answer would have been "Tax refunds". Either that or "I'm sorry, I don't discuss my finances with people outside my family." Might it cause you a hassle? Maybe. You have to decide if avoiding a hassle is more important than your privacy being invaded. For me, yes, I'm willing to spend hours an hours giving name, DOB and social security number to prove a point. You may not feel that way. I do.
I got pulled over one night very late after working a live radio broadcast at a bar in Chicago. I was so tired from working a 10 hour day adn then a live broadcast from 11PM to 1 AM that I was really drowsy and took too long to get moving after the light turned green. If you spend several hours at a bar, you are going to smell like cigarettes and alcohol, no matter what you do. When the officer pulled me over, smelled my clothing and all of my equipment in the jeep (from ten feet away I would imagine) and decided that I was drunk. The only problem was, I hadn't had a thing to drink in six hours since we were not permitted to drink on duty and I'd had one jack and coke hours and hours perviously. He administered a field sobriety test. I passed. He had me do a portable breathalyzer. I blew a 0.0. He recalibrated it and it was another 0.0. He asked me where I had been and I gave the name of the bar and showed him my business card that identified me as a broadcast engineer from a downtown radio station. He asked me had I been drinking and I told him yes, then told him exactly what and exactly when. He clearly thought I was lying. Then he started asking me where I got all the equipment from and did I own it. That's when I told him that I wasn't going to answer any more questoins wihtout an attorney present. He told me I wasn't under arrest so there was no need to lawyer up, and I told him that he might not see a need, but I did. A shift supervisor was called. They asked to search the vehicle and I refused and told them if they wanted to search it, they could damn well wake a judge up and get a warrant. They called a drug dog who didn't alert on anything. Frustrated beyond belief that I wasn't drunk but just smelled of a distillery/brewery, I finally asked them if they were going to charge me with a crime or not. They dscussed it, decided that I wasnt drunk, just physically exhausted, let me go and told me to "drive safe". I went home and showered and went to work. That nonsense cost me the four hours of sleep I might have gotten since two hours' sleep is worse than none at all. I verbally abused them on the air that morning and we fielded four hours of stories of intrusive police questions. Could I have just answered his questions? Yes. Would I have been cut loose two hours earlier than I was? Almost certainly. But when the deputy started asking questions that suggested that I stole the broadcast gear, I decided eogh was enough. I dug my heels in, they dug their heels in, and we all had a big d*** contest until they couldn't possibly justify holding me any longer. Sometimes you have to raise some dust. You have to be willing to be inconvenienced to stand up for what is right. Only you can make that choice for yourself. Governments will always push their limits, and if you don't push back, they will get the authority because they have taken the authority. At no time was I rude, abusive, profane or violent. I just calmly made it clear that we weren't going any further down that road. Here's the kicker: I used to be in police work and I am a HUGE supporter of the cops! A very, very wise woman once told me that "A clear conscience is the softest pillow". If you have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong then you don't have anything to worry about, once it all gets sorted out. That may take some time but it will get sorted out. The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is in such a situation, before you say or do anything, ask yourself: How would a judge view your actions? If you think a judge or a jury of your peers would see them as reasonable, go ahead. If you think you would not like a judge or jury to know what you are about to do, don't do it. I'm quite certain that every deputy that night thought I was the biggest jacka** in Illinos that night, and maybe I was. But the questioning had gone beyond what I felt was reasonable and I put a stop to it. So goes the CBIP. At some one point, you have to decid what is too much. What you do to earn money is none of their business. Search my stuff all you want but if you don't find anything, let me back into my country or let's all have at it in court. --PP To be able to do what you did, I have to know the law. It seems from your posts, all they can ask is name, DOB, SSN? Is that correct? And if they hold me up, and I miss the last flight that day, what happens? Hotel at my expense? Good job, btw! |
Originally Posted by polonius
(Post 11728992)
I've also been asked to not be so hard on incompetent CBP agents because "our biggest problem is retention". Sounds to me like if they were not flexible with their standards, they wouldn't have any workers at all.
GITU, of all the countries (27 or so) I traveled to (German citizen), only the USA asked me this type of question. This was a very current question when I was 18 and had a girlfriend in Santa Fe. I guess steady intercontinental relations are rare at that age. So every time I visited -twice a year- he saw that I had been there a number of times. They asked how I was able to afford the trip. I said, I obviously am or I wouldn't be here. Mostly they let that go. If not I said "Family money". Then they asked how much money I had with me. I told them. They said:"What if you run out of money?" I said: You really think that amount is not enough for x number of days?" Usually they would swallow that. When they insisted, I told them that my GF's family would be glad to help me out if need be. What they wanted to find out is whether I was going to work illegally in the US. But the kicker was when he asked me very seriously if I had any intention of marrying her. I looked at him with big eyes and said: "Sir, I'm 19!" He smiled and let me go. Till |
Originally Posted by tfar
(Post 11731361)
Now, that is interesting!
GITU, of all the countries (27 or so) I traveled to (German citizen), only the USA asked me this type of question. This was a very current question when I was 18 and had a girlfriend in Santa Fe. I guess steady intercontinental relations are rare at that age. So every time I visited -twice a year- he saw that I had been there a number of times. They asked how I was able to afford the trip. I said, I obviously am or I wouldn't be here. Mostly they let that go. If not I said "Family money". Then they asked how much money I had with me. I told them. They said:"What if you run out of money?" I said: You really think that amount is not enough for x number of days?" Usually they would swallow that. When they insisted, I told them that my GF's family would be glad to help me out if need be. What they wanted to find out is whether I was going to work illegally in the US. But the kicker was when he asked me very seriously if I had any intention of marrying her. I looked at him with big eyes and said: "Sir, I'm 19!" He smiled and let me go. Till |
Originally Posted by polonius
(Post 11728992)
I've also been asked to not be so hard on incompetent CBP agents because "our biggest problem is retention". Sounds to me like if they were not flexible with their standards, they wouldn't have any workers at all.
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Originally Posted by GITU
(Post 11728576)
What countries tend to ask for information? And if they do, what are they asking for? To see a credit card? A bank statement? Explanation?
Thanks! |
Originally Posted by VideoPaul
(Post 11730236)
"ACORN paid me $100 bucks for every ineligible voter I signed up to vote for Obama."
--PP Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read in this particular forum. :D^ |
Originally Posted by stupidhead
(Post 11733192)
That's a disgusting attitude on the part of whomever said it. I don't give a .... about retention, I REFUSE to let up on standards.
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I got hassled once coming back into the country, but an overzealous CBP office who wanted to know who bought my medium-sized stud earrings. When I replied that I bought them myself, he went into a whole interrogation about where I worked, how long I had worked there, how much I made, etc. I was fairly young at the time but I kept my cool. He was about to lose it when he asked "how can someone like you afford earrings like that?" I replied that they were cubic zirconia and that they had cost me less than $10. I think I saw steam coming out of his ears when he let me go.
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Originally Posted by Gaucho100K
(Post 11725599)
Wirelessly posted (Palm TX: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D050; Blazer/4.3) 16;320x448)
Arent those guys INS...? |
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