Rude customs and immigrations
 

Recently I came into the country via private aircraft.

We had an 'appointment' with customs and immigration at an uncontrolled airport. They arrived over 40 minutes late.

I was a little upset that they had not apologized for being late, and perhaps this came through my attitude--I needed to get on my way. Nevertheless, the agent typed and typed into his computer.

I thought the customs agent was rude and overly aggressive. He searched everything [found nothing]. What I found silly about this is that we had been alone at this airport for almost an hour...we could have loaded and unloaded the airplane many times over. Furthermore, he stepped in parts of the plane that could damage the plane.

If this was a private company I would complain...but I do not want to get on some bad list...nice way to feel in America.

Can they put 'whatever they want' into the system so I will be overly searched in the future?

Any similar experiences?

Aaah, welcome to pointy end of the class war!

Waiting 40 minutes is not a long time to wait. This depends of course on the location of entry, time of day and how busy they were. Entry from the southern border of the US is identified as high risk for narcotics smuggling and can lead to more extensive searches. If the CBP agent was stepping on "no step" areas of the plane then the pilot should have said something to the agent.

The pilot is responsible to hold the aircraft, passengers and baggage until authorized for release. Failing to due so, the pilot will be subject to civil, criminal penalties and face a chance that their aircraft may be forfeited. A very strong motivation to comply with CBP exists.

Which country did you come into ?

You mean there's more than one? ;):D

Well, let's see. You interacted with government bureaucrats, and they were:

1. Slow
2. Rude
3. Ineffective

That sounds about right! This is why Reagan's "Morning in America" was so popular, because your experience mirrors 99% of the rest of our interactions with anything run by the government.

I know that Canada can flag people for thorough questioning. I used to go in without issue, now every time i get sent to immigration. Usually they just ask me a few questions so I wish I could get unflagged. I just hate waiting in the queue for 1 hour just for 2 questions.

I'm sure the US does the same so best be careful unfortunately. :rolleyes:

Ya mean like the TSA screeners that told me off when I requested he not to damage my rollaboard carry-on bag at BWI?

CBP has been known to tear apart private airplanes on fishing expeditions, leaving the pilot to deal with a pile of parts left on the ramp.

I fail to see what possible similarities exist between a TSA screener being rough with a carry-on bag and a CBP agent damaging an aircraft.

The TSA person is trying to catch things intended to harm people. The CBP agent is trying to catch things that need to be taxed. Obviously the CBP agent needs more power.

What part of what he did was rude? Except for being late, you don't mention anything else that would indicate rude behavior.

That's a joke right? 4 oz of water is not going to harm anyone.

CBP actually does something useful.

I used to go through this routine every three to four months as a child, up until the time that I left home for University. Our family divided the year between residences in Southern Ontario and the Bahamas, travelling in our family "station wagon" (PA-32 Piper Lance), and, as you can imagine, these trips entailed frequent border crossings into and through the US. The OP hasn't described anything remotely out of the ordinary, and certainly nothing that would merit a specific complaint.

I can recall MANY occasions upon which, after transiting MYLS -- FLL, our plane would be COMPLETELY stripped by US Customs looking for contraband. Everything would come out: luggage, seats, panelling, etc., and the entire process could take anywhere upwards of one to two hours. Officers were always very professional (if a little surly, probably at the thought of having to perform a futile search), and we understood that they were all on edge because the nature of their job could be quite dangerous.

I can also recall spending an hour or two on the tarmac of remote airports-of-entry -- Havre and Glasgow, Montana come to mind -- before customs/immigrations officers finally arrived on scene to let us in to the generally deserted airports. We all understood that most officers had to travel from some larger centre, had other duties to attend to, and may even have been off-duty, and were grateful just to have someone be able to clear us through. These delays are unavoidable and just part of general aviation.

Do they attempt to put their destruction back together or just leave you there with a pile of pieces?

Also...I can't believe they are allowed to tear apart an aircraft since their actions could result in making the plane unsafe...it's not exactly a rickshaw.

Aside from both working for DHS, and both damaging or destroying personal property of the citizens they're supposedly protecting?