Spiff

KSL 5 TV Article

"The stepped up security also includes additional second screenings for some passengers..and that's what recently upset a Utah man.

He claims his civil rights were violated during a security check at Salt Lake International...

...Amrioui was released that night- he was offered a flight Saturday morning but decided not to take it.

He says he plans to file a lawsuit against the officers involved."

^ ^

I hope this is just the beginning of a tidal wave of lawsuits!

AArlington

The article indicated he had an envelope with $14k in cash that TSA looked at. They could have cleared the envelope with out searching it. Illeagal search, IMHO. His "implied consent" did not go that far.

What's next? They want to look at your phonebook on your cell phone? Look at the contents of your laptop? Screen the books you are carrying?

FliesWay2Much

It's really hard to discern everything from this sound byte TV transcript. But, it sounds like the guy was going overseas with more than $10K on him. I know you've got to report this, but I don't know when or how. Still, it doesn't seem reasonable that the TSA at the initial domestic checkpoint had the authority to count his money, if that's what occured. Unfortunately, by being charged with DC, this will be the focus of the legal proceedings, not civil rights.

eyecue

If you have more that 10k And you are going out of the US, you have to declare it. We dont count it. We see a large bulging envelope and check it for prohibited items and finding that it is currency we ask how much is in it. If we are told that it is in excess of 10k then we check to see where they are flying to and notify the appropriate agents (ICE and LEO.) They take it from there.

OrlandoFlyer

What right do you have to ask someone how much currency they are carrying? Have you decided that you are now the customs, police, etc., all rolled into one, namely the TSA. Your agency and it's employees are out of control.

eyecue

TSA and ICE are under HLS. We can ask anything that we want. You dont have to answer. Then we would base the call on judgement. "Is that $9999 or $10k?"

USCGamecock

Thanks for telling the entire world why security needs to be taken out of government's control. Then the private screeners won't have to worry about anything but security.

SDF_Traveler

You declare the $$ at your point of departure from the United States from what I understand. As far as the procedure, I'm not 100% sure. At some airports it is difficult to find a CBP officer in the departures terminal like EWR C -- at other airports like DTW, they're very easy to find and sometimes they sit just prior to the jetway on departing Intl flights to see if pax are carrying over 10k.

While his final destination may have been Casablanca, it's safe to say he was taking a US domestic flight out of Salt Lake City -- likely to New York, JFK, which can be flown non-stop from SLC last time I checked. The only international service out of SLC consists of a few trans-border flights (In fact, I've used SLC to connect for trans-border flights to Canada).

I don't believe it's ever been illegal to pass through a security checkpoint with more than $10,000 USD? Let alone for a domestic flight.

If I was carrying a large amount of cash on me, I'd be uncomfortable having the TSA paw through it (or anyone paw through it, other than a CBP officer).

However, to play devil's advocate: if he is a businessman & student, why is he carrying 14k cash? Would it be easier and safer to wire the money to his family in Morocco or at least obtain a replaceable negotiable instrument worth 14k which could be presented for payment in Morocco? I believe a reasonable person wouldn't carry that in cash --- but at the same time, it is 100% legal to carry as cash and secondly I'm not familiar with the banking system in Morocco -- the ability to obtain funds once wired may be difficult (I doubt it in a city like Casablanca though) and it may be difficult to present a negotiable instrument for 14k.

Keep in mind negotiable instruments over 10k must also be reported when leaving the USA, but at least it's not sitting as a pile of cash. However, if an Amex instrument is purchased, I would suspect an Amex office in Casablaca would honor it pending verification. Amex also offers it's own "wire" services (ala Western Union). Fraud is a large problem in that part of the world, perhaps why this individual decided to carry cash. If the money was wired, the outgoing wire transfer would also be reported and would probably catch some special attention.

However, in conclusion I hope he has a sucessful outcome with his lawsuit.

SDF_Traveler

OrlandoFlyer

So you admit there is no control because the TSA is under HLS. Very good!

Japhydog

I'll anticipate eyecue's response -- opinion.

mizzou65201

Eyecue is right. Law enforcement doesn't need "a right" to ask a question. Likewise, TSA can call Customs on a suspected Customs violation just as easily as you or I could call Customs if we were standing behind this gentleman in line. Remember, nowhere in this article does it say TSA counted the man's money. Rather, they found the cash and it would appear that he volunteered the total amount.

The currency laws call for the declaration form to be filed with U.S. Customs at any port of entry/exit. The gentleman here certainly could have filed a form at SLC, but I don't think he had to until reaching his actual U.S. port of exit.

TSAMGR

Relax on the personal attack. He is doing what the procedure calls for.The $10k procedure has been around before the TSA.

TSAMGR

The procedure will still be in effect no matter what. It was in effect before the TSA.

GUWonder

This $10,000 limit rule (for reporting purposes) is antiquated and useless (except for purposes of harassing those whom law enforcement wants to harass/target anyway). Anyone who wants can withdraw $10,000 from an ATM machine overseas without issue, and if this self-reporting and TSA-assistance is what our government officials think will "save the nation", then they are living in la-la land.

PhlyingRPh

Basically, it's none of your business if I'm carrying over 10 grand in my carryon on a domestic flight. I don't mind a friendly reminder like, "remember, if you've got more than $10,000 in there and you are leaving the country, you've got to declare it". But telling the buffoons at HLS???

I hope the rest of you Americans understand that today it is brown skinned, foreign accented people like me being affected by this type of idiotic checking... but tomorrow, it will be you. You should have put a stop to this before it even started. My sincere appologies for being so crude, but if you care about your freedom (that apparently everyone else hates you for!), you should mobilize yourselves politically.