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FlyerTalk Forums (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php)
-   Practical Travel Safety and Security Issues (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/practical-travel-safety-security-issues-686/)
-   -   Secondary CBP inspections (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/practical-travel-safety-security-issues/1764200-secondary-cbp-inspections.html)

Michael Chuang Apr 22, 2018 11:35 pm
Am I been flagged?
 
I traveled back to New York from Taiwan. I brought back a Chanel bag that my friend purchased and forgot to declare it. I was randomly selected for bag search and they found the bag. Long story short I had to pay $340. The officer also told me he will mark my passport said I been warned and should declare everything in the future.

does that mean I been flagged?

GUWonder Apr 23, 2018 2:06 am
Originally Posted by Michael Chuang (Post 29672607)
I traveled back to New York from Taiwan. I brought back a Chanel bag that my friend purchased and forgot to declare it. I was randomly selected for bag search and they found the bag. Long story short I had to pay $340. The officer also told me he will mark my passport said I been warned and should declare everything in the future.

does that mean I been flagged?
In some ways you are flagged. For example, Global Entry type privileges may be revoked/denied for such circumstances, your ATS score or other system driven flagging may result in more questioning and/or direction to secondary searches of your belongings when returning to the US. But it generally isn’t a problem otherwise. If you end up being sent to a lot of secondary searches, if nothing additional comes up, then eventually the frequency of being sent to secondary will ordinarily drop down toward average.

jphripjah Apr 23, 2018 9:45 pm
You may be flagged for mandatory referral to secondary inspection your next arrival. Or the officer may have merely made notes about you that future officers can see but that don't result in an automatic flag.

I'm curious why you say you were "randomly" selected for a bag search, most referrals to secondary inspection are not random at all.

GUWonder Apr 24, 2018 12:36 am
Originally Posted by jphripjah (Post 29676647)
You may be flagged for mandatory referral to secondary inspection your next arrival. Or the officer may have merely made notes about you that future officers can see but that don't result in an automatic flag.

I'm curious why you say you were "randomly" selected for a bag search, most referrals to secondary inspection are not random at all.
Many — even if not most — selections for the bag search are based on neither computerized/automated flagging nor the passenger declaration. People often use “random” to refer to outcomes that aren’t mathematically random but are built upon unknown factor(s), factors that may not even be rational and consciously known to the (manual) outcome-selecting party.

jphripjah Apr 24, 2018 1:05 am
Originally Posted by GUWonder (Post 29676983)


Many — even if not most — selections for the bag search are based on neither computerized/automated flagging nor the passenger declaration. People often use “random” to refer to outcomes that aren’t mathematically random but are built upon unknown factor(s), factors that may not even be rational and consciously known to the (manual) outcome-selecting party.
Yes, that's what I was getting at, it's more likely that the OP's answers to the primary questions triggered the bag search (especially if he said anything about carrying something bought by a friend, which is unusual) or that the OP otherwise "fit the profile" of someone who might be carrying contraband.

maninblack Apr 25, 2018 1:03 pm
I disagree.

We at CBP have to do random survey based on a time interval. The agriculture officers call it something different than the customs officers at baggage claim.

Willing to bet my next paycheck that because the word "survey" was used by an officer, the OP was referred for a A/S. Agriculture Survey, based purely on it being that time of the day.

GUWonder Apr 26, 2018 1:38 am
Originally Posted by maninblack (Post 29683084)
I disagree.

We at CBP have to do random survey based on a time interval. The agriculture officers call it something different than the customs officers at baggage claim.

Willing to bet my next paycheck that because the word "survey" was used by an officer, the OP was referred for a A/S. Agriculture Survey, based purely on it being that time of the day.
Welcome to FT.

I have been selected for those kind of surveys a couple of times but the baggage search for the Taiwan-New York passenger doesn't sound like it had been like what I have experienced with those surveys.

SkyTeam777 Apr 26, 2018 8:33 pm
Originally Posted by maninblack (Post 29683084)
I disagree.

We at CBP have to do random survey based on a time interval. The agriculture officers call it something different than the customs officers at baggage claim.

Willing to bet my next paycheck that because the word "survey" was used by an officer, the OP was referred for a A/S. Agriculture Survey, based purely on it being that time of the day.
What is you mean by survey? Is it like a quota that you have to search a certain number of bags a few times each hour? Or during a certain time interval, someone must be selected?


Originally Posted by jphripjah (Post 29676647)
You may be flagged for mandatory referral to secondary inspection your next arrival. Or the officer may have merely made notes about you that future officers can see but that don't result in an automatic flag.

I'm curious why you say you were "randomly" selected for a bag search, most referrals to secondary inspection are not random at all.
are these “notes” only seen if an agent has to do a bit more investigation into your record by scanning your passport manually?? Otherwise, it processes as normal w no need for secondary inspection?

jphripjah Apr 27, 2018 3:37 pm
Originally Posted by SkyTeam777 (Post 29688280)




are these “notes” only seen if an agent has to do a bit more investigation into your record by scanning your passport manually?? Otherwise, it processes as normal w no need for secondary inspection?
When you go to secondary, the officer makes notes. Those notes are then associated with you forever and can be pulled up by any CBP officer at any time. However, that doesn't mean you are flagged for subsequent referrals. You may or may not be. They have a bunch of notes on me for like 9 prior secondary inspections. I was flagged for a while but now I'm not, they just stamp me in. But if I do get sent to secondary again, the officer will pull up the earlier notes and read them.

At least I think that's how it works.

Cityflyer10 Apr 28, 2018 4:43 am
Originally Posted by jphripjah (Post 29691189)
When you go to secondary, the officer makes notes. Those notes are then associated with you forever and can be pulled up by any CBP officer at any time. However, that doesn't mean you are flagged for subsequent referrals. You may or may not be. They have a bunch of notes on me for like 9 prior secondary inspections. I was flagged for a while but now I'm not, they just stamp me in. But if I do get sent to secondary again, the officer will pull up the earlier notes and read them.

At least I think that's how it works.
To add to that, if you are interested in your file, a FOIA request can reveal what exactly is in there, though the interesting stuff will most likely be redacted.

maninblack Apr 28, 2018 7:57 am
Originally Posted by SkyTeam777 (Post 29688280)


What is you mean by survey? Is it like a quota that you have to search a certain number of bags a few times each hour? Or during a certain time interval, someone must be selected?


Customs and Agriculture both have to do random inspections throughout the day, at specified times.

The Agriculture officers call it something different than us Customs officers. They use the term "survey." That's why I assumed that based off the original post, hearing the word "survey" by one of them, meant that it was just one of those random inspections.

SkyTeam777 May 1, 2018 2:16 pm
Originally Posted by maninblack (Post 29692837)
Customs and Agriculture both have to do random inspections throughout the day, at specified times.

The Agriculture officers call it something different than us Customs officers. They use the term "survey." That's why I assumed that based off the original post, hearing the word "survey" by one of them, meant that it was just one of those random inspections.
Are the officers at the customs line (looking for commercial goods) different from those at ag inspection? I know they are looking for different things, but just assumed they had the same training. Is that not the case and they rotate between positions regularly (monitoring the exit forms, x-raying bags, going through bags, etc)?

jphripjah May 1, 2018 7:03 pm
I think the customs line guys you encounter after getting your bags and right before exiting the customs area are armed officers who also work primary/secondary inspection.

catocony May 1, 2018 9:10 pm
The Customs guys and the Agriculture guys are very different. The agriculture guys are specialists and just handle agriculture. The regular CBP agents are not trained on it.

Cityflyer10 May 2, 2018 8:05 am
Ag is very nuanced and thus special officers. I would bet most of the other officers rotate though


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