I had an interesting experience, during the boarding process on flight to Mexico. CBP/Customs officers were checking passports and asking questions. I was pulled aside for additional screening to my belongings. laptop and personal belonging. The CBP/Officer was very polite and professional but I felt very uncomfortable with all the questions, since I had nothing to hide I answered all of them. I hold a US passport, I am naturalized. How much money I was carrying?, business/pleasure travel?, where do you work?....etc. Even how many days I was planning to spend in Mexico and how many times I had used my US passport, also since he found passport page stamped from a previous visit to another country he politely asked If I liked that country, I said I loved it my spouse is from there. Then he proceeded to wrote down in a piece of paper (blank back side of Customs flyer, not a form) my passport number, name, date of birth and the numbers of days I will spend outside of US and let me go. I can understand the screening but all those questions ? and writing all that personal info on a piece of paper. Is this legal?? Should I prepare myself for a deep screening on my return?? Again never been in trouble, zero. Not the first time traveling but first thing going through this. Also I am concerned that he wrote all that info just on a plain piece of paper.

You're a US Citizen? You didn't have to answer any of their questions.

It was a Customs and Border Protection outbound operation. It was not screening for the security of the flight. The purpose most often is undeclared money or monetary instruments and on the Land Border weapons. It is legal. You will not be inspected any differently on your return from this trip or any subsequent trips. The information taken was to document the operation and interview with you. It is the same as when your passport is swiped on your entry to the United States there just is no terminals on the jet way to do it.

FB

It has happened to me on a outbbound trip to Europe, although nothing was written down or recordrd.

So we are already living in a state where govt tracks its citizens' movements in and out of the country......must have happened when we were not looking.

Are the details of such "interviews" retained by government? Do they identify the person who was interrogated? How long are the records retained if they are in fact retained?

As I already said, the same information that is obtained by swiping your passport is retained. There is just not a terminal in the jet way to do it. This is the same information that is given to CBP by the airline via APIS. The details of any interview or conversation are not retained other then in the officers memory unless there is a seizure or arrest. I would guess that it is retained as long as that APIS information but I don't know the exact time frame. Many times if written information is being taken during an outbound operation it is for statistics of the overall operation.


That information has been available to the Government for many years.

FB

I have seen them stand there on the SFO-LHR flight just after the boarding machines checking passports but don't recall them taking any details down.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9650/5.0.0.732 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

According to many people on this forum, exit controls from the U.S. do not exist. So you must be mistaken.

Other than my surrendering of my passport to the temporary custody/inspection of the CBP officer, as required by the language in the passport, you and your counterparts get no statements other than common pleasantries from me during these operations. During arrival immigrations/customs, they receive the declarations form along with nothing more than common pleasantries.

The government already tracks your movements domestically and internationally. See APIS and SecureFlight. It's reached the point now where you need the government's permission to travel by air.

So you refuse to answer any and all questions asked, including something as simple as to whether your travel is leisure or business, or what food products you have brought back (if you've checked the food box)? How many times a year do you travel international?

I travel internationally between 6 and 10 times per year. I will comply with the documentation requirements under the Global Entry program, and complete a CBP Form 6059B for every trip, just in case the GE kiosk is not working.

In case you are interested, here is question section of my typical form:

1. 10: Yes
2. 11a: No
3. 11b: No
4. 11c: No
5. 11d: No
6. 12: No
7. 13: No
8. 14: No
9. 15: Actual receipt value for items purchased (have never exceeded $800.00)

I also complete the declarations list, as required, on the back of the form and have had to provide multiple pages to properly declare.

However, I am not aware of any legal obligation to verbally respond to a CBP officer for any of those questions. If asked, I advise that I have completed and signed my declaration form as required and it contains all of my answers.

Most of my international travel is operating under travel orders pertaining to a government contract, orders which specifically state that I am not allowed to discuss the purpose of the trip with anyone. In those cases, I will not answer questions pertaining to the actual activities performed on the trip. The one time that I received any resistance from the CBP officer, I showed him my travel orders and was cleared without further comment or hassle.

If written information is being retained in cases such as this how are Privacy Act Disclosures complied with?

DOD trumps CBP.

Don't know whether I would go that far. However, I was not going to answer any questions specific to the nature of my business dealings - I will not expose my security clearance to possible revocation for the mere fishing expedition of a CBP officer.