Step 1. Start laughing in his face when he asks such silly question.
Step 2. Tell him that you're glad he completed SPOT level one training, maybe soon they'll let him begin level 2.
Step 3. Tell him that he is engaged in racial profiling, and as a federal officer he needs to give you his name, badge number, and supervisors name because it is your duty as an American citizen to report this improper activity to your congressman, the ACLU, and the newspapers.

I honestly don't remember what I said when they asked how I obtained the passport legally, I think it was along the lines of at the post office.

But I will remember the level 1 spot training thing for the next time.

Whats funny is I drive around NYC all the time and never been stopped well not true I often get loaner vehicles which have Michicagan Manufacture plates and if I am stopped its because of those plates not because of whose driving I really don't want it to be racial profiling and am just hoping its something I am doing.

Answering their questions.

Wrong.

They would have no legal basis to detain an American citizen traveling within American territory. Even when you are traveling to another country, you are not legally required to discuss anything with them.

People need to learn to stand up for themselves and not be intimidated by goons with badges & power trips.

I wasn't aware of that, I thought because its an airport different rules applied. I will not answer their questions next time. But then again I don't want to be a test case either.

It may well be you have done nothing wrong but you share a name with a bad guy. This is my husband's problem. His last name is Williams, known to be a popular problem name when returning from Canada. He does have to answer their questions, freedom of speech/the right to remain silent doesn't exist when when returning from Canada. (It MAY when flying in/out of Puerto Rico, I simply do not know.)

You don't give much background but if I had to take a random stab, I would assume that you share a last name/birthday with a bad guy from Puerto Rico and there is damn little you can do other than get to the airport early to allow extra time to clear. Oh, and keep a FIRM hold on your sense of humor.

My heart goes out to you.

There has been so much identity theft of Puerto Ricans that they're trying to re-do the whole system but meanwhile innocent Puerto Ricans are going through a lot of expletive-deleted because of all the bad guys using their information. It's my understanding that basically the entire DMV/birth certificate system of PR was hacked and sold...

You probably have to fly through Miami, but we have noticed that if you fly through Houston, they've really got their "stuff" together and have a fast system for clearing people who are victims of the "same name" problem.

Sometimes I get extra screening but it's invariably when I am traveling solo. That's just profiling. If you wanted to hire someone to move drugs, money, etc. you would probably just want to pay for one person's trip, not two people's trip. So that isn't based on my name or race, it's just based on "this lady is traveling solo AGAIN?" I feel the way to handle is to be upfront and leave time to address their concerns.

Then shouldn't I see extra screening etc even on domestic flights. I breeze through the TSA line even when I wear my "TSA Don't Touch My Junk" T-Shirt.

My Background I am 29, 30 in 2 days ground hog day. My name is far from common in fact my name is such an uncommon name that more asians have my last name than hispanics and I can't think of another Puerto Rican with my first name.

I never have had trouble coming into the country, in fact at JFK I have had custom agents actually check my passport before I even get to the passport check and tell me to use a special line to exit. I don't know why I've been as lucky entering.

It's just when I am leaving main land USA. In the Jetway on the way to the plane at JFK. I live in NYC so all my international flights tend to be direct flights from JFK.

I fly delta 99.9999999% of the time.

No, you wouldn't see the extra screening on domestic flights. I don't know how much detail it's kosher to go into, because I don't want to give bad guys too many clues, but there are certain countries "Williams" can fly in/out of without a blink. It's probably the same for Lopez or whatever, but maybe different countries.

In my husband's case, where we know the issue (because we were informed) he can fly domestically, he can fly in/out certain foreign countries, and he can DRIVE across from Canada without an issue. It is entering from Canada or Central America by plane that requires the extra screening. However, there are some Williams who can't even drive from Canada...the famous case of the lady last name Williams who has been arrested 100 times even though she is not even the same gender as the bad guy they're seeking.

Wouldn't it be a joke on all of us if this bad guy has long since passed on to the next world?

No experience of JFK whatsoever but keep in mind...supposedly every piece of ID issued in Puerto Rico has been compromised so it probably isn't about you. It's about someone who looks like you who stole your information.

No, he doesn't. Other than offering his passport and providing any necessary declarations, he is not required to participate in their charades.

Yes, they do, although people who don't/won't stand up for themselves tend to give the wrong impression.

The abuses won't stop until enough people refuse to participate.

According to FT member and claimed CBP agent Firebug84, this is a "consensual encounter" and you are not required to answer a thing. This is not a fixed citizenship checkpoint (where their questioning is legal as long as confined to citizenship and only brief in scope) but a public airport in the United States. You can basically walk right by and not talk to them.

This is almost certainly not ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Its almost certainly a branch of CBP (Customs and Border Protection). Either the blue uniformed border agents or the green uniformed Border Patrol.

Actually they are not in uniformed they are plane clothes almost always only once was a Port Authority Cop next to them in Uniform. They typically just have airport ID's around their necks and a badge most of the time they badge isn't visable and they show it to you when they walk up to you.

Personally, I wouldn't wait until it happens again. The nasty trick they tried to pull with that loaded question would be enough to send me for a personal one-on-one at my local congressional/senatorial office (or since I'm in DC, a trip to the Hill).

Given THAT, you should take a closer look at their badge and what agency or whom they really represent. I think what would be an important step in dealing with the situation, you'll need to know for certain agency is singling you out.