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Anyone Ever Get Turned Down for Global Entry?

Anyone Ever Get Turned Down for Global Entry?

Old Mar 4, 2015, 12:59 am
  #436  
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Originally Posted by bbmatt
I was just denied, my DUI from 2008 was set aside/not guilty. I want to appeal to ombusman, are there any success stories? what did you guys say?
If the case was in California, your conviction was expunged pursuant to Penal Code Section 1203.4 or 1203.4a. The conviction remains on your record for many purposes, including consideration of applications for government licenses and permits.

The Los Angeles County Public Defender's website has a good explanation of the effects of expungements.
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Old Mar 9, 2015, 6:04 pm
  #437  
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This thread has me worried. My wife and I are scheduled for an interview at ATL in two weeks on our return from a trip to Peru. My wife is squeaky clean, but I have two minor scrapes with the law from long ago ... never a conviction, but enough to now be nervous:

In 1987 or 88 I was in my car with four other college friends when we were pulled over in Nevada on our way to Colorado from Calif. The driver had a small amount of weed and we were all hauled off to jail. The next day three of us were released and never charged, but the driver was later convicted and spent a few months in the clink. In retrospect, given that we were traveling across state lines, it seems like I might be guilty by association with a trafficking charge in the eyes of CPB. I will be totally honest about the incident, but wonder if anyone has any thoughts about how to handle it.

A year later, still in college, I was arrested for driving on a suspended license that I did not know was suspended. This was in Kansas, and when I hitchhiked back to court a few months later from Colorado, the court clerk told me there was no case and that was the last I ever heard of it. I don't know why, but did not complain.

Now I do some consulting for various US Govt agencies, including stints in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, and a few other countries with less than stellar track records.

So I worry these two incidents, combined with some odd passport stamps, might set of alarm bells. Any thoughts?

Last edited by jer; Mar 9, 2015 at 6:22 pm
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Old Mar 9, 2015, 7:12 pm
  #438  
 
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Originally Posted by jer
This thread has me worried. My wife and I are scheduled for an interview at ATL in two weeks on our return from a trip to Peru. My wife is squeaky clean, but I have two minor scrapes with the law from long ago ... never a conviction, but enough to now be nervous:

In 1987 or 88 I was in my car with four other college friends when we were pulled over in Nevada on our way to Colorado from Calif. The driver had a small amount of weed and we were all hauled off to jail. The next day three of us were released and never charged, but the driver was later convicted and spent a few months in the clink. In retrospect, given that we were traveling across state lines, it seems like I might be guilty by association with a trafficking charge in the eyes of CPB. I will be totally honest about the incident, but wonder if anyone has any thoughts about how to handle it.

A year later, still in college, I was arrested for driving on a suspended license that I did not know was suspended. This was in Kansas, and when I hitchhiked back to court a few months later from Colorado, the court clerk told me there was no case and that was the last I ever heard of it. I don't know why, but did not complain.

Now I do some consulting for various US Govt agencies, including stints in Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, and a few other countries with less than stellar track records.

So I worry these two incidents, combined with some odd passport stamps, might set of alarm bells. Any thoughts?
Admit to two arrests. Explain in detail. Acquire and provide any certified court copies that document nolle prosequi / dismissal of your cases.
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Old Mar 10, 2015, 3:35 pm
  #439  
 
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Originally Posted by jer
This thread has me worried. My wife and I are scheduled for an interview at ATL in two weeks on our return from a trip to Peru. My wife is squeaky clean, but I have two minor scrapes with the law from long ago ... never a conviction, but enough to now be nervous:

...

So I worry these two incidents, combined with some odd passport stamps, might set of alarm bells. Any thoughts?
My husband and I are both "squeaky clean," and we were turned down without comment. If it does happen, don't let it get to you. There's an algorithm somewhere deciding who's trustworthy enough for GE. It's not as if someone is reading case files and cackling with glee when s/he gets to whip out the red "deny" stamp.
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Old Apr 18, 2015, 6:13 am
  #440  
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Just an update to my post above. When we arrived at the interview the agent asked if I had ever been arrested. I said yes and related the circumstances. He was very nice about it, stating I needed proof from Nevada that no charges were filed, and even indicated that he would be all set to approve me as soon as he had that proof. He gave me the FBI case number and an instruction sheet.

So I had to call the District Attorney office in the town where it happened. They asked me to fax them the details, which I did, and then I sat nervously for two weeks wondering if the fax went into a black hole. Finally I called to follow up and the woman who answered the phone immediately knew what I was referring to and told me they were searching in their offsite archives and could find nothing. Eventually, an e-mail with an attached letter arrived signed by the DA stating that they had reviewed all available records and could find no indication that charges had been filed.

I e-mailed the attachment directly to the CPB Officer, and within an hour, received an e-mail from GOES stating that there had been a change to my status. So I logged in and lo and behold, indeed approved!

So all is not list if you have an arrest record.

I guess I am curious in our data driven age, why law enforcement would maintain records of an arrest, but have no documentation whatsoever that the charges had been dropped/dismissed. I know this was back in 1987, but it seems that there should be some mechanism to permanently note the final disposition of an arrest. Instead, they apparently had to spend considerable time searching their archives just to come up with a letter that stated they could find no record of charges being filed.
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Old May 6, 2015, 7:59 am
  #441  
 
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I was able to get my GE with 2 convictions from many years ago. The BA informed me that in Feb. they changed the rules to allow some non-violent convictions that have nothing to do with customs to be on your record and still revive GE.
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Old May 6, 2015, 11:52 am
  #442  
 
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Originally Posted by likeaboss
I was able to get my GE with 2 convictions from many years ago. The BA informed me that in Feb. they changed the rules to allow some non-violent convictions that have nothing to do with customs to be on your record and still revive GE.
Good for you. I keep reading about these success stories and it makes my husband's and my denial all the more baffling and frustrating. I suppose on the bright side, as CBP adds automated passport control kiosks for the general public to more airports, GE will be less and less important.

http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizen...rt-control-apc

Still small consolation given that we have no idea why we were rejected!
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Old May 7, 2015, 10:06 am
  #443  
 
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From this thread I get a picture of what can definitely cause an application to be denied: DUIs, arrests, convictions, and most certainly being caught breaking a customs rule. What about people who have squeaky clean records, but have visited "interesting" countries (or are from such places)?
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Old May 7, 2015, 2:57 pm
  #444  
 
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Originally Posted by snic
From this thread I get a picture of what can definitely cause an application to be denied: DUIs, arrests, convictions, and most certainly being caught breaking a customs rule. What about people who have squeaky clean records, but have visited "interesting" countries (or are from such places)?
You missed one of the most important disqualifiers: lying either by omission or commission.
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Old May 7, 2015, 3:45 pm
  #445  
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Originally Posted by 747FC
You missed one of the most important disqualifiers: lying either by omission or commission.
This is the winner.

Many of the sub-threads in this lengthy thread are from people who were less than honest with CBP over things which, had they been honest, would have most likely not caused a ripple.

The test here isn't whether you can convince yourself that you are being truthful, it is being truthful and staying far away from the line.

Also worth remembering that just because some local court expunged or sealed your record doesn't mean that the feds don't have a "copy" in their various databases and that answering "no" when the Officer can see it in front of him is the kiss of death. The answer is, "yes, I was arrested, but the file was sealed back in XXXX...."
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Old May 7, 2015, 7:39 pm
  #446  
 
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Originally Posted by snic
What about people who have squeaky clean records, but have visited "interesting" countries (or are from such places)?
This seems to be what happened to Seth Kugel of The New York Times, though those of us who were denied or had our status revoked without comment can never be 100% sure:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/tr...the-price.html
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Old May 12, 2015, 5:09 pm
  #447  
 
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Originally Posted by Often1
This is the winner.

Many of the sub-threads in this lengthy thread are from people who were less than honest with CBP over things which, had they been honest, would have most likely not caused a ripple.

The test here isn't whether you can convince yourself that you are being truthful, it is being truthful and staying far away from the line.

Also worth remembering that just because some local court expunged or sealed your record doesn't mean that the feds don't have a "copy" in their various databases and that answering "no" when the Officer can see it in front of him is the kiss of death. The answer is, "yes, I was arrested, but the file was sealed back in XXXX...."
We know of two cases of friends who were initially denied and then later approved. One was for an omission of the type you mention and then a lot of explaining and documentation was required for a review. The other was for an a supposed youthful indiscretion that should have been expunged but was never done by the court in question. I do think one of the benefits of going through the process is that you know what is in government databases about you and you can correct if necessary.
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Old Jun 9, 2015, 5:26 pm
  #448  
 
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I've been conditionally approved.

However I had a "wet and reckless" (Infraction, not misdemeanor) arrest for blowing a .06% under the age of 21. (Meaning I was 20, and had I been about 5 months older I would have been in the clear..) This was in early 2010 and I've never had anything on my record since.

On the application, I think I put "no" when asked if I was convicted of a crime.
I was under the impression that they were asking about misdemeanors or felonies, and not infractions.

Am I wasting my time by going to the interview? Or does that fact that I've gotten to this stage of the process mean I'm in the clear?

Last edited by pushthelimit; Jun 9, 2015 at 5:52 pm
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Old Jun 9, 2015, 6:19 pm
  #449  
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Originally Posted by pushthelimit
Am I wasting my time by going to the interview? Or does that fact that I've gotten to this stage of the process mean I'm in the clear?
I'd say neither of those; you should definitely go and definitely answer truthfully and it's not a waste of time, BUT, most certainly not "in the clear" either.
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Old Jun 9, 2015, 6:23 pm
  #450  
 
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Originally Posted by pushthelimit
I've been conditionally approved.

However I had a "wet and reckless" (Infraction, not misdemeanor) arrest for blowing a .06% under the age of 21. (Meaning I was 20, and had I been about 5 months older I would have been in the clear..) This was in early 2010 and I've never had anything on my record since.

On the application, I think I put "no" when asked if I was convicted of a crime.
I was under the impression that they were asking about misdemeanors or felonies, and not infractions.

Am I wasting my time by going to the interview? Or does that fact that I've gotten to this stage of the process mean I'm in the clear?
No, but I would disclose what you said above, and ask whether or not you answered the "convicted" question properly. Worst case, they so "No," and note that you owned up to it.
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