Whose government? :confused:

Look, Fred, I think you're just being a bit too precious and "do you know who I am?" here. Asking what your job is when you show up looking for entry to a foreign country is not an unreasonable question for a border guard to ask. S/he is hardly asking some very intimate or irrelevant question. That's no excuse for a border guard to be rude, offhand, aggressive, dismissive or anything else that's unprofessional. But if asking what you work as is all you have to complain about - your complaint has to be pretty far down the list of "Things That Are Awful And Need To Be Fixed".

(PS not all illegal immigrants are day labourers).

your government.

It's Fredrik. And I'm not. I'm telling you I have other options than going to the US. I understand that a lot of Americans don't really understand that idea and think that everyone wants to live there but surely you're not one of them?

It's a silly question and it's asked because of the idea that everyone wants to move to the US.

However, it's not so much what they ask as how but I'm sure you have started to realize that. Unlike most of Mexico I have a choice so why should I have to put up with the DHS clowns when I can go elsewhere? Especially now that the US wants me to pay for this treatment.

Some of them have permanent cleaning or gardening jobs.

^ U.S. immigration is horrible compared to most of its counterparts around the world. They assume that you are either an economic migrant or a potential terrorist. I also think that the E.U. should be tougher with U.S. citizens.

"Travel Promotion Bill" charges tourists $10 for entry
 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/04...#disqus_thread

A new "travel promotion" bill is going to charge all visa waiver nationals US$ 10 to enter the US. I have no idea how they will know we payed before authorizing us to board international trips (or maybe they'll charge on entry?), or how I will remember when I have to pay again, considering my passport lasts 10 years (I already forgot to renew my ESTA, but it turns out no one cares, or notices, or says anything). I also am curious about how I will pay, since the embassies do not typically accept credit cards, which could be done online. If I have to go personally to the embassy, I am going to reconsider US travel altogether.

Great "travel promotion", hum?

I sincerely hope that you and all other would-be visitors boycott travel to the US and that all industries that are tourism-based take an even bigger nose-dive.

The scumbags who instigated this tax instead of repealing the disgusting harassment that visitors receive at our borders should be caned and terminated.

There was a thread on this somewhere, but I can't find it.

Taxing vistors is nothing new
 

Practically every municipality sticks it to anyone visiting through extra taxes on hotel rooms and rental cars.

Also I think there are elements withing the federal government that would be just as happy if foreigners stayed at home.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-dhs-esta.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newss...te-travel.html

Bingo. Thank you. ^

Freddy-poos: I can see you're winding yourself into an indignant self-righteous fury. You're obviously pretty firm in your remarks about Mexicans and bizarre belief that only US border guards ever ask people what their professions are (!) because they think the whole world wants to live there. You'll never be convinced that it's ever right for a border guard to ask a question of a European (the nerve!) and you're starting to trip over your assumptions, so perhaps we'd better leave it there...

Oops. Sorry. Merge??

Although I see no discussion anywhere (I guess because no one knows) regarding how we are going to be billed. I bet it is going to be in the most annoying and roundabout way possible.

You'll soon have to pay to register for the ESTA. Of course, the vendor operating the payment system will want a cut and the remainder will also be used to educate people about the ESTA, etc. :td:

ESTA will require a credit card. If you don't have one that is too bad - no more visits to USA for you. :mad:

I'm not sure about this. I don't know any embassy that accepts credit cards, and the local US embassy takes cash only. I certainly don't want to have to go to the embassy to cash in every 2 years.

In addition, having to remember to do this repeatedly is going to be a royal pain in the you-know-what.

No one checks for ESTA when you board, also. Are they going to start doing that, or are they going to solve any lack of payment when you get to customs?

Altogether, a very unfriendly way to treat the group of US visitors coming from most of the wealthiest countries...

Fine, if that applies to everybody.

I think you're missing the point. Paying for ESTA will only affect furriners who on the whole are bringing $$$ to the US economy anyway. US citizens don't (yet) need ESTA.