Originally Posted by etch5895 (Post 11201064)

One would hope in situations like that (multiple full loads arriving at the same time), the CBP supervisor would inspire his/her officers to make the process as quick as possible so people can catch their onward connections. (Meaning: no 20 questions, scan the passport, stamp it and hand it back).

Sadly, I doubt it.

Originally Posted by MIA-SAT (Post 14871173)

... Agent 2 told me that as a GE member, I was subject to random pullouts of the line.

Originally Posted by paule123 (Post 14872024)

I don't remember being told such a thing during my interview. Do you mean because you're a GE member, you're subject to random pullouts, or anybody going through customs in general is subject to a random pullout? Somewhat devalues the program if fee was paid, an extensive background check was subjected to, but we are still susceptible to "random" secondary screening. (CBP secondary screening being more serious and time consuming than the cursory secondary screening by the TSA elves)

Originally Posted by wilp888 (Post 14871656)

I had a problem one time with my fingerprint scan and got the "X". However, when I went to the CBP agent at the nearest line, the agent had no idea it was the fingerprints that caused the "X" and in fact asked me if I knew what the problem was. So, yes, Agent one wasn't exactly being truthful. When I exited Customs, the agent just took a look at the receipt and waved me through. I think your experience stems from poor training on the part of the agents. BTW, which airport was this?

Originally Posted by MIA-SAT (Post 14871173)

Foolishly again I thought I could rely on what Agent 2 said, wrong. At customs exit at baggage claim, I was asked why I had not filled out a paper customs form, I told him that I had just been told by Agent 2 that the CBP stamp the back of my GE receipt was sufficient and was told by Agent 3 that if I ever got bounced again I should fill out a paper form.

Originally Posted by MIA-SAT (Post 14871173)

I obtained my Global Entry approval nearly a year ago. I had my first trip to secondary interview at immigration without having declared something. I did not even get to the second screen at the GE kiosk and the slip with the big X printed. Foolishly thinking that I should do what I was told during my GE interview to do when this should happen, and go to the closest window to the GE exit, I was told to go back to the regular lines.

Fortunately, the lines were still short. It was a bit disappointing to be fibbed to by the agent at the immigration line who told me that there was a fingerprint problem, I replied that this was interesting because the machine said all the prints were fine. Then I heard that they were having a problem with "that" kiosk. Agent one leads me to the secondary intereview room and my guess is that I was the sole US citizen in that room judging by what I saw and heard.

About 20 minutes or so later, I was called to a booth in the secondary room and Agent 2 told me that as a GE member, I was subject to random pullouts of the line. I told him that I was aware of that fact because I was told that during my interview. He went through the customs form questions, stamped the back of my big X'd receipt from the kiosk with the CBP stamp and told me to show the form at the exit of immigration.

Foolishly again I thought I could rely on what Agent 2 said, wrong. At customs exit at baggage claim, I was asked why I had not filled out a paper customs form, I told him that I had just been told by Agent 2 that the CBP stamp the back of my GE receipt was sufficient and was told by Agent 3 that if I ever got bounced again I should fill out a paper form.

Despite the obvious lack of truthfulness of the first CBP agent and the 20 minute delay, the rest of the CPB crew that I dealt with was courteous. (You would think that Agent 1 just could have said that I had been bounced to secondary randomly, rather than tell the whopper about the fingerprint scans.) I do not and did not today do anything that might jeopardize my GE registration, and I guess that I was due for a random stop. The good news is that all of the others who were in secondary when I arrived were still waiting when I was allowed to leave, at least I had some priority for my status to be resolved. Bags were so delayed that my bag still had not arrived when I got to the carousel before customs.

So here is a data point for a ramdom stop of a GE registrant.

Originally Posted by MIA-SAT (Post 14872303)

MIA. BTW, spoke to a buddy of mine after I posted and he raised another possibilty that had not occurred to me. This was my 6th trip to Colombia in the last year. He thought the frequency of my visits to Colombia under Global Entry might trigger the X treatment. I have no idea.

Originally Posted by GoingAway (Post 14904138)

Wirelessly posted (goingaway\'s phone: BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.231 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Who says a paper is required?

Originally Posted by DevilDog438 (Post 14904301)

IIRC, it is not required, but is recommended, specifically for the cases where the kiosks are inoperable for any reason.

Originally Posted by GoingAway (Post 14904138)

Wirelessly posted (goingaway\'s phone: BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.231 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Who says a paper is required?