Hiya, i've returned a few weeks ago from Orlando, but our flight stopped in Chicago for a few hours, where i experienced probably the most horrendous few hours of my life.

Let me start of by saying i am from the UK with a British passport but i am Indian, and hey we indians look the same as the profile of terrorists even though we're from a different country but hey it's okay, am i am fully aware as a 28 year old i deserve some extra attention, i don't really mind this. However, customs at Chicago really took me to a by gone era from the 70's in the way they spoke to my family and treated us.

Our connection time from arriving at Chicago to catching our flight to Orlando was four and a half hours, so it was plenty of time according to most agents we spoke to. However the que at immigration was incredible. Absolutley huge. People there were complaining that they had connecting flights but the one sole boy who was in charge of maintaining order in the que just ignored people. They had 6 immigration officers for the disabled, and some just sat there doing nothing. While another half was for American citizens, and that que moved quickly. But the 10 or so officers for foreigners wasn't enough, and so many people missed their connecting flights that day. Staff were slow, often serving just a few customers every half hour, and then going and laughing with their collegues and not serving anyone. Coupled this with some people pushing in, made for a torrid time.

Now, i understand this can happen at any airport, you get busy days. But what made it hard for me was i had my 3 year old with me, and my wife. We were stuck in the que for close to 2 and a half hours, which when you consider the majority of passengers through Chicago are using it as a hub airport, it isn't good enough.

Then we got to the desk. My child decided to throw an almight fit, and we couldn't get to our bags to get her basic food and drinks, or toys to entertain her. I passed my comments onto the immigration officer about how the que is ridiculous, and how you had 6 immigrations in the corner doing nothing, and that the American citizens line was viritually zero. He, and i am not joking, swore at me asking 'WAT THE f*** DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?!'.

Okay that wasn't normal. Swearing infront of a child isn't. So i told him it's just we're a little stressed with the baby, and we have a connecting flight in 90 mins. This guy who i'd seen laughing away for a few hours in the que suddenly really turned on me getting really aggresive, telling me never to come to Chicago again and that they don't want people like me (whatever that meant). I was a little taken aback.

I told him my child was probably just hungry, and he went 'SO WHAT?'. Fine i just let it drop, but the guy obviously was on a power trip, and his insults continued. He asked what nationality i

was, and i told him British. He went 'No i meant where do you come from, you're skin isn't white'. I really didn't know wether to laugh at this borderline racist comment or take offense. I was born in the UK and lived there all my life, as have my parents, even though i am or indian origin. Do they ask black people where in Africa there anscestors are from? He asks if i'm muslim. Anyways again i let it drop, perhaps he had a valid point here, i don't know. His comments just continued, and i really want to stress he was aggresive, and shouting at times! LOL!

I asked him i'd still have enough time to make my connecting flight. He went 'NO', and winked ... 'I'm going to make sure you miss it'. He winked !!!!!

So he calls over his assistant, and they have selected me for extra security. My wife and crying child come with me (even though they are okay to go through), and we are ushered into a room that resembles a jail with a bunch of foreigners where we are kept waiting for 4 hours! These foreigners we were with, like from African countries, middle east countries, all had problems with their papers, and on hearing some interviews some were jus outright lying about why they were there.

To be fair one immigration officer took pity on us and bought my child a drink. But my distraught wife wouldn't leave my side. So anyways a senior immigration officer comes over and takes me to an interview room, and reads the notes why i have been stopped. He shakes his head, and says you have a British passport, your esta is complete, why has he stopped you? I said i don't know. He shakes his head and stamps my passport.

But hey we've missed our flight. So we're upset. We walk back out of the 'holding area' and go past the original immigration officer, and i thank him for missing my flight. He laughs and WINKS AGAIN and goes 'no problem, it's one of the perks of the jobs. Never come back here.' There were other officers around who heard him but didn't bat an eyelid. I am aware of my rites in an airport, and considering taking action there and then and reporting this man for his behavior, but i honestly felt that airport had it's own set of rules and law and that if i dared say anything they'd make life for me even harder.

So we get to American Airlines desk and tell the lady what's happend. And she says it's really common with workers at the aiport who are on an ego trip, but that the airport is going to crack down on this type of behavior. The way Orlando was notorious once for rude immigration officers it has now been radically changed to fair officers who don't speak to people like trash. She says missed connections are a huge problem at the airport cos of the ques.

Anyways i took down the immigration officers name, and sent a complaint of a few weeks ago to an address i found at the airport for complaints, but have heard nothing back.

I know there's always another side to the story, and perhaps you're thinking the immigration office had his own version of events, but honestly i can't think what. I was never rude to him, i never raised my voice, never swore, wasn't argumentative. It was just an awfull experience, be carefull guys.

American airlines made us pay $50 for a hotel room, but reading on the internet while there the hotel was only $40 a night anyways! Work that out! And we left in the morning to some of the nicest immigration officers you can find in Orlando.

Welcome to Flyertalk, JordanDemarco.
I believe that your topic is best suited to our Travel Safety and Security Forum.
Therefore, I am asking you to please follow the discussion there.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

To the OP:

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

I am sorry that you were treated badly by the immigration official, I hope that the remainder of you visit goes well.

Folks, let's try again.

If you have something to say about the topic, feel free to post here.

But if commenting on another member of FT is all you can think to do, please spare us the effort of removing your post.

90% of the posts in this thread have been deleted as they had zero to do with the OP's topic.

Threads on FT are NEVER about your fellow FTer's and those that deem to make them so will have a limited stay here.

Thanks to the 99% of you who play by the rules.

_________________


Cholula
TS/S Co-Moderator

Actually, I think the comment on Chicago not being selected for the Olympics was very much on point. I came back looking for some more thoughts on that.

I'm sorry to hear the OP's experience at ORD.

ORD is just trying to be more like LHR, unfortunately.

2 months ago, I arrived at London Heathrow. It took almost two hours before I got through immigration. The line was long... long... long.... The only good thing was that the immigration officer said sorry to me regarding the long lines. She worked as fast as she could to scan/stamp my passport.

Are you British too ? That's as classic a case of understatement I've seen in a long time.

What a dreadful experience. I am very sorry to hear about this, but what you describe is not that uncommon at US airports. I arrive at ORD T5 about 10-15 times in an average year, and it's never good in the afternoons from an operational perspective, and then there are some real cocky, uneducated DB's working there too, which doesn't help.

With regard to your experience w/ AA and the hotel, in the US, unless there is a mechanical problem with the aircraft, or unless you hold top tier status with your airline, you are not getting a free hotel room for an overnight delay - full stop.


You may be Indian, you may be male, you may be twenty eight, but you DO NOT deserve any extra attention for these reasons alone. It is my opinion that taking the position that you do deserve extra attention puts civil rights back a good forty years for those of us who were born in Britain of either mixed Eurasian or Asian heritage.

To make my point, it might interest you to know that a good number of the individuals working at CBP at ORD have origins in parts of Europe that contributed significant troops to Hitler's army in the 1930's, but that doesn't mean you should suspect them of being former Nazi's.

Understatement would have been something along the lines of - "I am sorry that you were slightly inconvenienced in Chicago during your trip to Orlando".

I would file another complaint. In fact, I would call DHS Trip and recite exactly what you wrote here. This guy is just one small step above the POS who kicked member B747-438B in the face at YYZ and should be fired instantly.

You don't mean literally "kicked in the face", do you?

@ Jordan

Hey mate !
Sorry to hear about your "warm welcome" @ O'Hare ..

FWIW and if it's any consolation ... it happens occasionally to me too, although I'm Caucasian on a EU passport with valid E-2 visa status travelling in and out frequently for most of my adult life.

Example:

My last time about 4 weeks ago was similarly horrific - arriving in ATL and having seemingly just bad luck with the first Immigration Officer (who was AA).

Ended up for absolutely nothing (error by first IO in "reading his screen" ) in the 2nd Security Check - exactly as you described complete with one single screaming and intimidating officer in charge and no phone calls allowed - it reminded me very much of movie scenes from WW2.

After approx 3� hours of waiting in this holding pen it was discovered - with one single look at the screen - that I was held for nothing at all and was promptly stamped and released without any apology or remark.
The whole ordeal had taken approx 6 hours and of course made me miss the last flight of that day to my final destination - home.
Had to sleep at the airport - with my loved ones extremely worried and waiting at the other end.


They really make you feel very welcome - don't they ?

My Advise: pick your point-of-entry carefully and observe diligently during the long queue-times which IO looks the most "welcoming" in his handling of foreigners @:-) and - with all due respect - never ever respond with disparaging remarks

Yes. He has posted about this before.

Very sorry for what happened to you. The situation at ORD immigration is indeed outrageous and I've witnessed the same in terms of non-citizen wait lines while others can pass much faster. Never understood all those empty yet staffed desks for the disabled passengers. This really gives the seemingly coveted foreign visitor quite a welcome. The airlines are at fault as well, giving people unrealistic connection times and getting boarding cards for later flights is an ordeal at ORD.

However, the part about the abusive officer is hard to read and to swallow. I really wish you success with your complaint, so that another family does not have to endure the same type of treatment. Management should be ashamed!

Here are my current rules in terms of entry to the U.S.

- Avoid ORD at all cost
- Double check your forms (and have your supporting documents ready and organized if needed)
- No matter how tired, stressed or annoyed, always be as pleasant as you can with the officers. Don't offer any more information than required, but know your answers (no wavering) and use "Thank You" in abundance. Remember the aim is to get on to your destination.

He could be Muslim

So could a caucasian. But hell, brown skin is certainly enough reason to give him a hard time whatever his religious orientation.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/art...d4a4d944d.html

I'll see your and raise you