Do these border crossing experiences sound extreme to you?
Aug 6, 2007, 11:21 pm
#76
Join Date: May 2002
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I have had dozens of US-Canada-US border crossings and a couple of US-Mexico-US border crossings.
I have never been held up more then two minutes. And most of the time (95%) it is under one minute.
Funniest crossing episode for me was when I was coming back from Niagara. I was staying in BUF and had arrived early enough during the day for a short trip over to the CA side to get some pictures of the Falls.
As I was coming back over the brigde, a US officer asked, "Did you buy anything while you were over there?" I replied that I had and told him, some fudge and a Coke (or coffee, can't recall now).
He paused and asked, "Special fudge?" I think I just laughed and he told me to have a go on and have a good night.
I have heard first hand from friends and family several times when cars were "torn apart" and/or unpacked during searches and trips being delayed 2-3 hours.
I have had dozens of US-Canada-US border crossings and a couple of US-Mexico-US border crossings.
I have never been held up more then two minutes. And most of the time (95%) it is under one minute.
Funniest crossing episode for me was when I was coming back from Niagara. I was staying in BUF and had arrived early enough during the day for a short trip over to the CA side to get some pictures of the Falls.
As I was coming back over the brigde, a US officer asked, "Did you buy anything while you were over there?" I replied that I had and told him, some fudge and a Coke (or coffee, can't recall now).
He paused and asked, "Special fudge?" I think I just laughed and he told me to have a go on and have a good night.
I have heard first hand from friends and family several times when cars were "torn apart" and/or unpacked during searches and trips being delayed 2-3 hours.
Aug 7, 2007, 3:22 am
#77
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Aug 7, 2007, 6:20 am
#78
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 628
Not according to the US District Court of Central California they cannot. The government has appealed, but they have lost round one. And certainly the idea that someone has "no rights" just because they are at a border is ridiculous.
You have plenty of rights at the border. Not having your stuff searched just isn't one of them.