What do US customs see when they swipe passports?
May 31, 2011, 5:46 pm
#31
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Victoria, BC
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 214
They certainly don't pull up a travel history unless it relates solely to travel into the US (for me I guess it may come up with a list of my recent trips to the US). They can always just look up the passport stamps for this anyway. They can't access information from other countries and nor should they. Again the main reason is to confirm the passport is legit.
A while ago I had an incident where an Immigration Officer threatened to charge me with people smuggling. He went on about how it's a felony and I won't be able to cross the boarder very easily ever again. There was a lot of boot stomping and good cop bad cop stuff going on. My poor brother got dragged into the mess and they interrogated him for a while [He also tells a story about the time I was speeding into Oklahoma City and got pulled over by the Highway Patrol with a car full of stuff and we both ended up in the back of separate cop cars telling our life stories to some shaved headed sunglass wearing pitbulls, but I digress]. It turns out I wasn't trying to smuggle anything or anybody into the country so he had to let us go. The last thing he says to me is that this is going into my 'record' and I'll be 'flagged' every time I cross the boarder.
I've left and re-entered the States at least 30 times since that incident and I've even had a secondary screening at a land boarder. For all the staring they do at their computer screens, I haven't heard one reference to the people smuggling incident or had any officer treat me as a suspicious person. I'm not flagged and the immigration officers don't see any reports about the incident. As for my brother, he avoids traveling with me.
Jun 1, 2011, 3:19 am
#32
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Australia
Programs: Too many
Posts: 1,096
I've never had anything happen to me, however it makes me wonder why the US with the waiver program (eligible for us in Australia) is so hard on anyone with a criminal record (especially something minor from 30 years ago)
An uncle of mine went to the States last year and got stopped by customs and interrogated for 2 hours as he ticked Yes to the "have you ever been arrested before" (which he had 30 years prior). He was let through, however I do wonder if many people do tick no and customs have no idea of any linked systems between the US and Australia.
An uncle of mine went to the States last year and got stopped by customs and interrogated for 2 hours as he ticked Yes to the "have you ever been arrested before" (which he had 30 years prior). He was let through, however I do wonder if many people do tick no and customs have no idea of any linked systems between the US and Australia.
Jun 1, 2011, 3:32 am
#33
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 181
U.S. Immigration does appear to have access to criminal databases in Canada and perhaps a few other countries at this point. I think there is a push to increase sharing of criminal databases across countries. Other things that probably come up include previous entries into the U.S. and any red flag on one's immigration record that may make one ineligible for entry (previously denied entry or deported or on some kind of watch list, for instance).
The U.S. does not have access to other countries' immigration files to see what countries you have visited. This is fairly clear for two reasons: first, even those countries themselves don't always have this information computerized (in the Julian Assange case, there was confusion about when or where he entered the U.K. because UKBA could not find any data relating to him and admitted that is common); second, the U.S. is making an aggressive push for flight reservation records maintained by foreign airlines.
The idea behind the flight reservation records is that the U.S. can then work out which countries you have visited through your airplane itineraries. The obvious flaw in this idea is that the data cannot track people who go through land crossings. Without data on your airplane travels, though, the U.S. government has little idea of where you have been unless you are being tracked by law enforcement.
The U.S. does not have access to other countries' immigration files to see what countries you have visited. This is fairly clear for two reasons: first, even those countries themselves don't always have this information computerized (in the Julian Assange case, there was confusion about when or where he entered the U.K. because UKBA could not find any data relating to him and admitted that is common); second, the U.S. is making an aggressive push for flight reservation records maintained by foreign airlines.
The idea behind the flight reservation records is that the U.S. can then work out which countries you have visited through your airplane itineraries. The obvious flaw in this idea is that the data cannot track people who go through land crossings. Without data on your airplane travels, though, the U.S. government has little idea of where you have been unless you are being tracked by law enforcement.
Jun 1, 2011, 8:51 am
#34
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 132
Anyone heard ob "B-10" in Inmigration in the USA?
During 2009, I started to be sent to the secondary screening in immigration at MIA.
I learned that I was flagged as “B-10” and even this was top secret, I just learned it because it happened like 6 times in a row.
Has anybody heard the term “B-10” in Immigration in the USA?
Anyway, when they swiped my passport, they could see the last 5-7 entries, airline I flew, origin of flight, and the famous B-10 flag. I would be sent to the little room, and they would “call Washington”, give my demographics and wait like 20 minutes until “Washington” called back clearing me.
After the 6th time, while in the first screening, I told him that the B-10 had been cleared like 5 times in the last 6 months, and that according to his supervisor in the secondary screening process, he had the needed privileges to clear it if he saw convenient. He wasn’t happy that I knew the “B-10” slang, and he was even more unhappy that I told him he could clear the B10 if he had the guts to do it (of course I didn’t said it with those words) at the end, he pressed the red light button they have in the counter, and I was taken again to the secondary screening little room, where I took out my little black book where I had been recording the names of the supervisors, and Bingo, that day’s supervisor had already cleared me in the past, so I addressed him by rank, told him that I was a “frequent B-10” which put a smile on his face, and told him that I thought the first contact officers could clear a frequent B-10, he agreed and said that most of them were too cautious to do it, but he would personally see that the B-10 mark be taken out of my record.
So, yes, they can see a lot of things, but mainly they see last entries.
I then understood what happened: I was living in Brazil at the time and even if my passport was still good for like 2 more years and had sporadic empty pages, I needed 2 consecutive empty pages for a Visa to Colombia, so I ended up having to get a new passport in my country’s embassy in Sao Paulo. They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
I learned that I was flagged as “B-10” and even this was top secret, I just learned it because it happened like 6 times in a row.
Has anybody heard the term “B-10” in Immigration in the USA?
Anyway, when they swiped my passport, they could see the last 5-7 entries, airline I flew, origin of flight, and the famous B-10 flag. I would be sent to the little room, and they would “call Washington”, give my demographics and wait like 20 minutes until “Washington” called back clearing me.
After the 6th time, while in the first screening, I told him that the B-10 had been cleared like 5 times in the last 6 months, and that according to his supervisor in the secondary screening process, he had the needed privileges to clear it if he saw convenient. He wasn’t happy that I knew the “B-10” slang, and he was even more unhappy that I told him he could clear the B10 if he had the guts to do it (of course I didn’t said it with those words) at the end, he pressed the red light button they have in the counter, and I was taken again to the secondary screening little room, where I took out my little black book where I had been recording the names of the supervisors, and Bingo, that day’s supervisor had already cleared me in the past, so I addressed him by rank, told him that I was a “frequent B-10” which put a smile on his face, and told him that I thought the first contact officers could clear a frequent B-10, he agreed and said that most of them were too cautious to do it, but he would personally see that the B-10 mark be taken out of my record.
So, yes, they can see a lot of things, but mainly they see last entries.
I then understood what happened: I was living in Brazil at the time and even if my passport was still good for like 2 more years and had sporadic empty pages, I needed 2 consecutive empty pages for a Visa to Colombia, so I ended up having to get a new passport in my country’s embassy in Sao Paulo. They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
Jun 1, 2011, 9:06 am
#35
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Victoria, BC
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 214
That sounds like something they would care about. In the States they cut the corner off your old passport.
Jun 1, 2011, 9:46 am
#36
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Night Vale
Posts: 1,872
My passports have all been renewed at Houston. The old ones all have a red or black big cancelled stamp on the bio information page along with a date. The most recent one has two holes punched thru the entire passport.
Looking back at all your passport pictures shows how ya really haven't aged at all....
Looking back at all your passport pictures shows how ya really haven't aged at all....
Jun 1, 2011, 9:53 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 181
They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
Anyone who has ever been denied entry or anyone who is on a watch list of some kind also has a red flag put in their file as well. That means that, just as in your case, the front-line officer sends you into secondary screening and you have to get cleared there. Before 9/11, I remember reading about some poor guy from the former Yugoslavia who had the same name as a Serb war criminal. He was a frequent international traveler and even though he had a valid U.S. visa, he had to go through hell whenever returning back to the U.S. You would think they would be able to put an override in the system tied to his visa and/or passport number but no. That apparently inspired him to try to get U.S. citizenship as quickly as possible.
Jun 1, 2011, 1:52 pm
#39
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: San Francisco
Programs: UA 1K/AS 100K …Bonvoy Titanium..Hertz Presidents Club
Posts: 1,116
During 2009, I started to be sent to the secondary screening in immigration at MIA.
I learned that I was flagged as “B-10” and even this was top secret, I just learned it because it happened like 6 times in a row.
Has anybody heard the term “B-10” in Immigration in the USA?
Anyway, when they swiped my passport, they could see the last 5-7 entries, airline I flew, origin of flight, and the famous B-10 flag. I would be sent to the little room, and they would “call Washington”, give my demographics and wait like 20 minutes until “Washington” called back clearing me.
After the 6th time, while in the first screening, I told him that the B-10 had been cleared like 5 times in the last 6 months, and that according to his supervisor in the secondary screening process, he had the needed privileges to clear it if he saw convenient. He wasn’t happy that I knew the “B-10” slang, and he was even more unhappy that I told him he could clear the B10 if he had the guts to do it (of course I didn’t said it with those words) at the end, he pressed the red light button they have in the counter, and I was taken again to the secondary screening little room, where I took out my little black book where I had been recording the names of the supervisors, and Bingo, that day’s supervisor had already cleared me in the past, so I addressed him by rank, told him that I was a “frequent B-10” which put a smile on his face, and told him that I thought the first contact officers could clear a frequent B-10, he agreed and said that most of them were too cautious to do it, but he would personally see that the B-10 mark be taken out of my record.
So, yes, they can see a lot of things, but mainly they see last entries.
I then understood what happened: I was living in Brazil at the time and even if my passport was still good for like 2 more years and had sporadic empty pages, I needed 2 consecutive empty pages for a Visa to Colombia, so I ended up having to get a new passport in my country’s embassy in Sao Paulo. They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
I learned that I was flagged as “B-10” and even this was top secret, I just learned it because it happened like 6 times in a row.
Has anybody heard the term “B-10” in Immigration in the USA?
Anyway, when they swiped my passport, they could see the last 5-7 entries, airline I flew, origin of flight, and the famous B-10 flag. I would be sent to the little room, and they would “call Washington”, give my demographics and wait like 20 minutes until “Washington” called back clearing me.
After the 6th time, while in the first screening, I told him that the B-10 had been cleared like 5 times in the last 6 months, and that according to his supervisor in the secondary screening process, he had the needed privileges to clear it if he saw convenient. He wasn’t happy that I knew the “B-10” slang, and he was even more unhappy that I told him he could clear the B10 if he had the guts to do it (of course I didn’t said it with those words) at the end, he pressed the red light button they have in the counter, and I was taken again to the secondary screening little room, where I took out my little black book where I had been recording the names of the supervisors, and Bingo, that day’s supervisor had already cleared me in the past, so I addressed him by rank, told him that I was a “frequent B-10” which put a smile on his face, and told him that I thought the first contact officers could clear a frequent B-10, he agreed and said that most of them were too cautious to do it, but he would personally see that the B-10 mark be taken out of my record.
So, yes, they can see a lot of things, but mainly they see last entries.
I then understood what happened: I was living in Brazil at the time and even if my passport was still good for like 2 more years and had sporadic empty pages, I needed 2 consecutive empty pages for a Visa to Colombia, so I ended up having to get a new passport in my country’s embassy in Sao Paulo. They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
Now, just as you found out that saying the word B10, I would not tell the officer to PLOR your record. How I would put it is , "is there anyway or a sytem available you can remove my record from the database". If they say "no", request to speak to a Supervisor and state the same question.
Good luck but all I can say is that you are not the only one, hundreds even thousands of people are stopped on a daily basis because of this B10 record.
Jun 1, 2011, 5:21 pm
#40
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: FLL
Programs: AA Gold, DL Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Gold, Starwood Gold, too many cruise programs to list
Posts: 655
I've never had anything happen to me, however it makes me wonder why the US with the waiver program (eligible for us in Australia) is so hard on anyone with a criminal record (especially something minor from 30 years ago)
An uncle of mine went to the States last year and got stopped by customs and interrogated for 2 hours as he ticked Yes to the "have you ever been arrested before" (which he had 30 years prior). He was let through, however I do wonder if many people do tick no and customs have no idea of any linked systems between the US and Australia.
An uncle of mine went to the States last year and got stopped by customs and interrogated for 2 hours as he ticked Yes to the "have you ever been arrested before" (which he had 30 years prior). He was let through, however I do wonder if many people do tick no and customs have no idea of any linked systems between the US and Australia.
Have had clients, US Citizens, who were denied entry to Canada because of misdemeanor criminal offenses even 30+ years ago. Basically any criminal conviction, even if expunged, can deny entry to Canada. That includes very minor infractions, misdemeanor drug use, DUI, etc.
Canada has access to the US databases... and US has reciprocal to Canadian.
Jun 2, 2011, 1:04 am
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,098
They do have access to the immigration information of other countries, but not in the swipe...it's in the stamp on the pages of your passport. It shows when you entered, and sometimes when you left, that country.
Mostly it's to verify your story. "Where were you before the UK?"
"Turkey"
You had better have a Turkish stamp on your passport.
For example: If you are coming off a flight from London, but for whatever reason there is no visa stamp from the UK because you entered it without a visa..(say on a private boat or by swimming the English Channel), they will most likely pull you aside for additional questioning.
I hold 3 citizenships..German, American and Canadian. I used to try to make my life in lines at customs easier by only using the passport for the country I was entering. This eventually turned out to be a bad idea despite the shorter domestic processing lines because I never showed a passport with a visa stamp for where I was coming from. I once entered Argentina using my Canadian passport, and upon returing to Los Angeles using my American one (which was new and clean at the time and had no stamps whatsoever) without a record of originating in Argentina or anywhere for that matter, I had alot of explaining to do.
Mostly it's to verify your story. "Where were you before the UK?"
"Turkey"
You had better have a Turkish stamp on your passport.
For example: If you are coming off a flight from London, but for whatever reason there is no visa stamp from the UK because you entered it without a visa..(say on a private boat or by swimming the English Channel), they will most likely pull you aside for additional questioning.
I hold 3 citizenships..German, American and Canadian. I used to try to make my life in lines at customs easier by only using the passport for the country I was entering. This eventually turned out to be a bad idea despite the shorter domestic processing lines because I never showed a passport with a visa stamp for where I was coming from. I once entered Argentina using my Canadian passport, and upon returing to Los Angeles using my American one (which was new and clean at the time and had no stamps whatsoever) without a record of originating in Argentina or anywhere for that matter, I had alot of explaining to do.
Jun 2, 2011, 4:20 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 132
Now, just as you found out that saying the word B10, I would not tell the officer to PLOR your record. How I would put it is , "is there anyway or a sytem available you can remove my record from the database". If they say "no", request to speak to a Supervisor and state the same question.
Good luck but all I can say is that you are not the only one, hundreds even thousands of people are stopped on a daily basis because of this B10 record.
Cheers
Jun 2, 2011, 10:35 am
#43
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969
I then understood what happened: I was living in Brazil at the time and even if my passport was still good for like 2 more years and had sporadic empty pages, I needed 2 consecutive empty pages for a Visa to Colombia, so I ended up having to get a new passport in my country’s embassy in Sao Paulo. They returned my old passport with a “cancelled” seal in the main page, which was plastic laminated, so when I passed my finger, the ink was washed away, so I ended up with 2 passports… I started using the older one again to use the blank spaces, and something must have triggered an inconsistency when multiple passport numbers were detected in my record…
Jun 2, 2011, 10:39 am
#44
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,969
I hold 3 citizenships..German, American and Canadian. I used to try to make my life in lines at customs easier by only using the passport for the country I was entering. This eventually turned out to be a bad idea despite the shorter domestic processing lines because I never showed a passport with a visa stamp for where I was coming from. I once entered Argentina using my Canadian passport, and upon returing to Los Angeles using my American one (which was new and clean at the time and had no stamps whatsoever) without a record of originating in Argentina or anywhere for that matter, I had alot of explaining to do.
Jun 3, 2011, 10:54 pm
#45
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,098