Ari

Follow-up is always a nice thing from an OP.

flyingpolarbear

I received an X on the slip after returning from my father's funeral in Europe. LAX Customs/DHS officials took my card, told me I'm no longer eligible for the Global Entry program, and send me through secondary where they x-rayed my bags and let me go.

Now I am frustrated since they will not tell me why. I want to write to the Ombudsman, but I have no idea what facts to present because I didn't do anything to violate any regulation whatsoever. In fact I have a government security clearance that requires a background check every 5 years which is much more thorough than the background checks for Global Entry.

Does anyone have any luck with the Ombudsman revealing the reason, when initially they won't tell? I feel this has been unjust and troubling because I have a spotless record and compliance with regulations.

FriendlySkies

Strange.. Have you tried to login to your GOES account to see if it says anything?

jasonvr

Very odd. A tangential question though - why did you even have your GE card to surrender to DHS since it is useless when flying?

flyingpolarbear

GOES online says it's revoked, 3 days after landing. Only reason it states is that I'm not eligible. I searched Google and apparently the same thing happened to a bunch of other people - revoked for mysterious reasons and they won't reveal why.

Does anyone have experience writing the Ombudsman when the reason is not revealed? This whole process would make more sense if they could lay out the (erroneous) info they have come across, and I could correct them.

Starman

It would seem a reasonable guess that if the reason for the ineligibility is deemed sensitive, they don't disclose that reason in their records easily available to all employees, i.e., the staff at the interview station may honestly have no way of finding out.

flyingpolarbear

My work is right nearby LAX so I already stopped by there again, and a nice officer was trying to be helpful but after I asked him for half an hour "could it be this? could it be that?" he honestly didn't seem to know. I am interested to hear anyone's experience in writing to the Ombudsman in clarifying their mysterious reasons.

NA-Flyer

I am concerned that your job might be the secret behind the X

GadgetFreak

My first thought as well. I was talking to a guy a few years ago having some drinks (I had just met him, I was a professional colleague of his girlfriend) and in a discussion of travel hassles he mentioned he always gets full secondary screening. I asked if he knew why and he said it was because he had a pilots license. I processed this and then remembered that he had said earlier that he learned to fly while flying fighters for the US Navy. I asked if I was mistaken about the fact that US Navy fighter pilots undergo incredibly rigorous background and psychological testing prior to being put alone in the cockpit of an incredibly advanced and enormously dangerous weapons system. He laughed.

flyingpolarbear

Hmm, I went to Europe twice in one month, purchasing my airline tickets just a few days ahead of time. The first time because my father was critically ill and wanted to see me one more time. The second time to attend his funeral. Is it possible that personal travel twice to Europe on short notice in one month could be flagged as suspicious travel? Or I am stretching too far to think of possible reasons?

Ari

You might wish to contact Christopher Elliot who has had positive results with GE in the past. But you have to make that choice for yourself.

YVR Cockroach

You mention your father lived in Europe. Is or was he a citizen of a country that is still unfriendly or was unfriendly to the U.S. at any time? The "sins of the father" is one possible avenue?

NA-Flyer

If I am not mistaken, nowadays all European countries are close friends or allies to the US with the exception of RUSSIA

Loren Pechtel

It's not so much sins of the father as the fear of the use of family connections to apply pressure.

Global_Hi_Flyer

But that would apply much more so with the security clearance than it ever would for Global Entry.

I would suspect some kind of name confusion - or an outright error by Customs.