USA Boarder Control

I would have to find a new job or retire. I manage the local office of a US owned company and so need to travel there from time to time. I have found make sure your documents are in order & answer any questions clearly & concisely at Border Control - all good :)

 

 

 

Yep, shore days count :) Make sure you have your ESTA if you qualify for one, else make sure you have correct visa - you will pass thru US Border Control boarding the ship in Vancouver.

 

I actually entered the US on the very weekend all hell broke loose last month. It was probably the easiest entry I have ever had - it was in Dallas though, so that might have made it better;)

I have a current ESTA but my passport expires next April. Will renew in Sept this year due to the 6 month rule and reapply. One thing is that you can no longer rely on it being in the system electronically and need to take a paper copy.

I was in LAX and Port of LA in Nov/Dec, no problems at all, just be polite.:cool: Stay cool.

 

You will be fine By the Bay.

As she said, she's been 116 times before. And still got this.

It's the American way. Just whether you're lucky - or not.

I really can not see an issue really , if you have done nothing wrong then whats the worry if the detain you for an hour or so.

 

 

maybe if we screened people more in Australia our no good for nothings may think twice before entering Australia

 

 

As i said if you havent done nothing wrong then it shouldnt matter wether they have detained you, while they do the checks

 

it may feel embarrassing at the time but at the end of the day they are only doing their jobs

So you'd be fine taking cruises, if say your dining waiter barked "wait" at you for half an hour before you could order, then didn't say anything else, then brought your food out another hour later without a word, for example?

Hey, they're still just "doing their job" too.

It's all about the manner in which they do it. When they aren't feeling like treating you well, US border control treats you as a criminal. They don't answer questions. They segregate you. And they bark orders at you. Hardly, "just doing their job."

I feel sorry for Mem Fox, a famous children's author, who is aged 70.

 

I believe every word she said. Unless you have been through intense officious interrogation at LAX, you have no idea the extent of LAX Immigration's misuse of power.

.

Indeed. She wouldn't have gotten an apology from the US embassy unless there was a reason. They're not just soft touches that say nice things just to make sure your feelings don't get hurt.

I'm thinking I won't be spending my money on your shores either! Cruise cancelled...

Congratulations then on the new regime reducing tourism and relations between countries.

Just doing as many predicted he would.

So you'd be fine taking cruises, if say your dining waiter barked "wait" at you for half an hour before you could order, then didn't say anything else, then brought your food out another hour later without a word, for example?

 

Hey, they're still just "doing their job" too.

 

It's all about the manner in which they do it. When they aren't feeling like treating you well, US border control treats you as a criminal. They don't answer questions. They segregate you. And they bark orders at you. Hardly, "just doing their job."

hardly the same thing really what you trying to compare here from a restuarant to border security

yes i think it doesnt matter what job ya in basicly there is always a manner in which you can conduct yaself wether that being Border security to person scrubbing toilets for a living

hardly the same thing really what you trying to compare here from a restuarant to border security

 

yes i think it doesnt matter what job ya in basicly there is always a manner in which you can conduct yaself wether that being Border security to person scrubbing toilets for a living

I wasn't comparing the jobs, just the way they interacted with the public they are dealing with.

One is with total disrespect, and the other is positive. I'm not seeing anyone complain about the fact they're checking, just the way they're doing it.

I had an experience in October last year, pre-trump, that shocked me and I have travelled to the US 30 odd times over the years. Business and pleasure. Never had any problem previously other than the standard gruff attitudes at LAX

After a B2B Allure of the seas trip my wife and I fly from Miami down to Mexico for a week in an all inclusive resort.

Upon arriving back to Miami we were both marched into the detention area, given a number and told to wait with no explanation. I would guess there was 150 people crammed into a fairly small area and as you can probably guess was about 90 percent Hispanic. It was extremely grim with a sense of despair, there were a number of families and small kids, people sleeping who had obviously been there for some time. And it was extremely quiet, no one talking except for the guards questioning people at the desks.

Whilst I was silently ****ting myself, I remained calm in hope of reassuring my wife that everything would be ok. In the end we were the lucky ones and only took about an hour to get processed. Still have no idea what happened, no explanation given despite my asking.

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No interest in visiting LOTFAP*

I understand as well that there have been some problems with some of Australian passports which were issued in the second half of last year and into the first month of this. Posters on a frequent flyer board I belong to have posted that some Australians have been detained for up to an hour for their passports to be checked. According to one poster they were told that there had been a glitch in the passports. Some people had been in and out many times on their old passport but were stopped when they first tried to enter using the new one.

*Land of the free and paranoid

Spot on there re new passports, when we arrived at LAX last November our passports were only a couple of months old. The 'new' processing machines at LAX would not accept them, photo/prints etc, so we had to line up for 20 minutes to check in with the Border Security. He said our new passport had not been registered in the USA thus we had to do a face to face check and manual prints/photo etc, but no big deal. So I think that is what occurred here.:evilsmile:

Taking into account the impact of 9/11, I have no issue with the strong US entry requirements. I have been into the US five times, via LA, San Francisco and New York. I would visit again, I like America. And give Donald T a chance.

Spot on there re new passports, when we arrived at LAX last November our passports were only a couple of months old. The 'new' processing machines at LAX would not accept them, photo/prints etc, so we had to line up for 20 minutes to check in with the Border Security. He said our new passport had not been registered in the USA thus we had to do a face to face check and manual prints/photo etc, but no big deal. So I think that is what occurred here.:evilsmile:

There was a segment on Neil Mitchell show last week (3aw Melbourne) about Passports and America

Some was saying they got through LAX fine then others saying they was felt like crims being pulled a side

Some said they was told the issue is with the passport that there equipment cant read the new passports

I now think border security people when they pull Australians over just say look we have to do a manual check unfortunately please bare with us while they do this

May make feel people a bit more comfortable knowing they are not in strife and its a glich in the system that wont wont accept new passports currently

In November 2013, my son, daughter in law and five months old granddaughter flew into LAX on holiday. My daughter in law was carrying my GD. DIL was told to put GD down so GD could walk through the scanner! DIL tried to explain that GD was only a baby and didn't even crawl (average sized baby). It took a while for the US officials to finally let DIL and GD through.

DIL and son were simply amazed that they would expect a five month old baby to walk! We still laugh about it.

Leigh

I wonder while they are looking at the average joe blow they are missing the ones they need to catch.

Taking into account the impact of 9/11, I have no issue with the strong US entry requirements. I have been into the US five times, via LA, San Francisco and New York. I would visit again, I like America. And give Donald T a chance.

Thank you Uncle Les for your kind words.

Had Clinton or Bush 43 done something about screening requirements during their administrations, 9/11 wouldn't have happened.

And I distinctly remember there had been a threat of attack on LAX in 1999.

My daughter in law was carrying my GD. DIL was told to put GD down so GD could walk through the scanner! DIL tried to explain that GD was only a baby and didn't even crawl (average sized baby). It took a while for the US officials to finally let DIL and GD through.

That sounds like TSA rather than CBP. Not the sharpest tools in the shed, IMO.

Before 9/11 the screeners were just low skilled private employees. After 9/11, they were made government employees with the power to delay your boarding a flight, have you arrested for noncompliance, etc.

Basically, their attitudes & competency are similar to Deputy Barney Fife of the Andy Griffith Show.:rolleyes:

I'm a trusted traveller, yet at this once certain domestic airport...I've been subjected to humiliating pat

downs & almost missed flights. And no reason ever given for the pat downs.

And once as my hand luggage was being searched, the TSA officer discovered I was carrying $60.

She asked me if I knew I was "carrying a lot of money."

Ummm, I was travelling cross country & needed that amount for meals, transportation, lodging in case I missed my flight like I almost did.:mad:

I wonder while they are looking at the average joe blow they are missing the ones they need to catch.

Yep, grannies in wheelchairs & infants (see post #36) pose a much greater threat to national security than those who carry explosive devices concealed in their shoes & knickers.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

I'm thinking I won't be spending my money on your shores either! Cruise cancelled...

 

 

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maybe if we screened people more in Australia our no good for nothings may think twice before entering Australia

I am confused.

Surely the people that are 'no good for nothing' are good for something or no good at anything.and therefore shouldn't we be stopping the people that are 'good for nothing' or 'no good at anything'

I am confused.

Surely the people that are 'no good for nothing' are good for something or no good at anything.and therefore shouldn't we be stopping the people that are 'good for nothing' or 'no good at anything'

And we should not forget home grown good-for-nothings.

And we should not forget home grown good-for-nothings.

We could send them to the US then, they can be detained by the border security and that will allow everyone else to swan through.:p

While we are looking and headtilting at the who's and why's of the US Border Control we can add this story of a well known person being detained. The ex-Prime Minister of Norway has also been detained and questioned over his diplomatic visits during his term as Prime-Minister which were shown on his diplomatic passport.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/03/former-norway-pm-bondevik-held-washington-dulles-airport-2014-visit-iran

My last post on this topic, I promise!

While we are looking and headtilting at the who's and why's of the US Border Control we can maybe add the stories of the ten of thousands of people who enter the US every day without incident.

The ex-PM of Norway visited a country that is on the NO list. He should have known that before he travelled to US, and expected at least some questioning - a diplomatic passport is not a 'rules don't apply to me' free-pass. My colleague from France was unable to obtain a US visa to attend our recent meeting in the US, where he has been numerous times, as he had travelled to Iraq in the period in question - the rule was accepted & you won't see any histrionics from him.

Cheers

The ex-PM of Norway visited a country that is on the NO list. He should have known that before he travelled to US, and expected at least some questioning - a diplomatic passport is not a 'rules don't apply to me' free-pass. My colleague from France was unable to obtain a US visa to attend our recent meeting in the US, where he has been numerous times, as he had travelled to Iraq in the period in question - the rule was accepted & you won't see any histrionics from him.

He's also an ex-PM, unlike your colleague.

Diplomats are treated differently - normally anyway. Tony Abbott amongst other PMs also visited Afghanistan. So you think it'd be fine for him to be segregated for an hour with similar intensive questioning if he visited the US?

Regardless whether you do, it's still a breach of diplomatic protocol.

My last post on this topic, I promise!

 

While we are looking and headtilting at the who's and why's of the US Border Control we can maybe add the stories of the ten of thousands of people who enter the US every day without incident.

 

The ex-PM of Norway visited a country that is on the NO list. He should have known that before he travelled to US, and expected at least some questioning - a diplomatic passport is not a 'rules don't apply to me' free-pass. My colleague from France was unable to obtain a US visa to attend our recent meeting in the US, where he has been numerous times, as he had travelled to Iraq in the period in question - the rule was accepted & you won't see any histrionics from him.

Cheers

In the article about the ex-PM of Norway it was mentioned he had travelled to the USA a few times before with the same stamp from Iran in it with no previous incidence. It was only after the new bans were put in place that he had a problem. Also he had queried if it was a problem prior to flying to the US this time.

I have been to LAX a few times and it is pretty bad. We have a trip booked to the US in July and we are flying direct to SFO so I am hoping they aren't as arrogant and slow in processing as they are in LAX. I agree with security but some of these people at the airport were acting as if they were on a power trip.

I think I may have posted some time ago the trouble one of my friends and his wife had at the Mexico/USA border.

When they fronted up for entry the bright spark wanted to lock them up because their passports didn't show a previous entry and departure from the US.

Bright boy's reasoning was that to get into all the South American countries that their passport showed they must have been through the US. It wasn't until they insisted on seeing someone higher up the ladder, and that person confirmed that you can actually fly from South Africa to South America, that bright boy would let them enter the US instead of locking them up.

I think I may have posted some time ago the trouble one of my friends and his wife had at the Mexico/USA border.

 

When they fronted up for entry the bright spark wanted to lock them up because their passports didn't show a previous entry and departure from the US.

 

Bright boy's reasoning was that to get into all the South American countries that their passport showed they must have been through the US. It wasn't until they insisted on seeing someone higher up the ladder, and that person confirmed that you can actually fly from South Africa to South America, that bright boy would let them enter the US instead of locking them up.

Oh dear., You have to laugh!