Wierd experience w/child coming back to Miami

[marquez305]

I know that the law about requiring us to obtain passports has been delayed, and I was originally glad because well...I'm cheap! But...a friend of mine just got back from a cruise out of Miami, travelling with her husband, her almost 2 year old and another family...and she said she had a very uncomfortable thing happen when she got back.

 

At the point where you get off the ship and show your documents (license and birth certificates)to the official, they were stopped and pulled aside. She said that the very gruff female officer read her daughters birth certificate and then tried multiple times to get the child to respond to her name. The child just hid her head in her mothers shoulder. She said after about 4 minutes of this (which I guess felt much longer) the officer returned the childs bc and told them "go".

 

She said she felt really embarassed and the child actually had tears running down her cheeks when she finally got her head up.

 

I guess I'm an advocate for getting passports now...if this is how they ID children!

[lele100]

WOW, I would have asked her is there a problem? thats a sneaky way of doing things, using a child

[rvrgirl]

That happened to some friends of ours. They were coming back thru immagration and were stopped. Their kids were about 10 and 12 at the time. They asked the kids questions, like what's the presidents name, etc etc. Scared the kids:( They wanted to make sure they were who they claimed to be. Never know.

[wisefamily4]

Our kids have almost always been asked similar questions when returning from a cruise. They somtimes ask the kids for their names or what city they live in and sometimes they point to me (their Dad) and the kids who I am.

 

I have to admit, the 1st time was a little uncomfortable, after that.... no problem.... we sometimes get a chuckle out of questions. The officials have never been rude.

 

Oh yeah, we all have passports.

[mheinrich]

I would gladly give up 4 uncomfortable minutes for both myself and my son if it could save just ONE child from leaving the ship with someone they didn't belong with!!!

[LKYGSR]

I would gladly give up 4 uncomfortable minutes for both myself and my son if it could save just ONE child from leaving the ship with someone they didn't belong with!!!

 

 

AMEN !!!!

[doodlefan]

I'm sorry your friend was uncomfortable but it really is a small thing when compared to the agony of losing a child due to one parent skipping out of the country.

 

I think it's fantastic that they are randomly checking with the kids, this gives any child the opportunity to speak out if they are indeed being taken away with one parent from another parent.

 

I had all the necessary documents with a notorized letter from my DD's father in April when we sailed but not once was I ever asked for any of it nor was my daughter who was travelling with a different surname than mine ever get questioned. She is 14 though and may look 16, which is legal age so maybe that's why she wasn't questioned.

 

Doodlefan

[Iamthesea]

This is all done for the safety of the child. It's done in airports and borders, also.

 

That child may have looked similar to a photo that the customs official had of a missing child. She was just doing her job. ;)

 

I guess the fact that the child "nuzzled" with the mom for so long, convinced the official that she belonged to the family.

[Astronomer]

Required or not, I wouldnt leave the country without a passport, including for children.

[comfortcruises]

Wow, I am really surprised by this. We will be leaving Sunday on what will be my son's 7th cruise (he's now 12) and he's NEVER had a single question asked of him. I agree that anything done to protect children should be done, even though my son would also have been upset by the situation when he was younger.

[MrPete]

I would gladly give up 4 uncomfortable minutes for both myself and my son if it could save just ONE child from leaving the ship with someone they didn't belong with!!!

 

Exactly. I'm reading this thread shaking my head.

 

Good God, people. What if your child suddenly went "missing", and they were "found" this way.

 

My DD has had a passport since she was 7 months.

[rvrgirl]

I think some of you might be missing the point. Sounds to me like this is the first time that the OP heard of this. And I think if you don't know what's going on, it can be a little scary. Now they know, they will be prepared if it happens to them:)

[MrPete]

I would tell the OP to tell her friend 5 minutes of embarrassment (:confused: ) outweighs a lifetime of grief.

[rvrgirl]

I would tell the OP to tell her friend 5 minutes of embarrassment (:confused: ) outweighs a lifetime of grief.

 

I think they realize that NOW. Thats why people come to these boards to find out info like that. Seem's they didn't no what was going on:)

It also happened to our friends, the first time they traveled out of the country with their kids and they had no idea what was going on. Also the immigration were a little ruff with them too.

[Homosassa]

I thought questioning a child was a standard procedure.. This happened to us anytime we have taken our daughter out of the country when she was small (she is now 22). The first time was when she was 17 months old and we were coming into Los Angeles off a Trans Panama Canal Cruise which started in Aruba.

 

We have always been checked when crossing the Canadian border, both entering Canada and coming back into the states.

[marquez305]

This should go without saying...but since some think it's an issue...Of course I think that pretty much anything is a-ok if you're protecting a child...as does the mother in this case.

 

BUT...I have a 3 yo and the few times we have cruised she has never been questioned...so this was something new to me. I figured maybe the girl fit a description or something.

 

I don't think a child of that age (especially THIS child) would respond to being approached the way she was. Even a kidnapper (especially if it was someone the child knew) would have gotten the same reaction from the child when the alternative is a gruff stranger. Remember we are talking about a child that is not even 2 yet and can't really communicate.

 

Got my application for a passport for my daughter today!

[A Little Pixie Dust]

My DD has been on several cruises but has only been questioned once. We had her BC and not her passport at the time and the officer asked her birthdate and where she had been born..she replied to both and they said to have a nice day.

 

I would rather be asked but can understand the puzzlement if OP had never heard of this.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Desiree

[lillabella]

my daughter (now 11) usually gets asked a question or two. The last time we were traveling through Germany the customs officer gave her a scare because she asked if the stuffed animal she was carrying had a passport and ticket available - "uh mom?" :eek: It was really funny.

Mostly they ask her the same kinds of questions that they ask us though... where are you going? why? how long will you be there?

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Our DD was questioned when we returned from our Mexican Riviera cruise. The customs official asked her her middle name, birthday, where she was born, who DH and I were. It didn't really freak her out or scare her as much as it confused her. She didn't know why this man was asking her. DH and I were actually pleased that they took the precautions.

 

I guess we were fortunate that he was very kind and gentle with his questioning. Had he been agressive, I'm sure it would have frightened her.

[mom2mikenbryan]

i totally understand why they do this, but here is a odd question, as a parent to a 4 year child who has major speech problems and other special needs and would not be able to answers to what some think as simple questions i'm wondering what would happen? what would customs do? this is just a question iam throwing out there, we have never cruised with him but hope to soon, i quess getting his passport would be a good thing?

-thanks for answering my question

-marie

[bmgaritty]

A passport is always a good thing!

 

Do you realize that your passports /birth certificates are linked when you leave the country?

My husband, daughter and I went to Cancun. When we arrived in the US, the officer scanned my husbands passport, then mine, then welcomed my daughter (using her first name) back to the US. We did not have a passport for her at the time, but she was linked to our passports.

 

Interesting huh?

[seamama1]

I know that the law about requiring us to obtain passports has been delayed, and I was originally glad because well...I'm cheap! But...a friend of mine just got back from a cruise out of Miami, travelling with her husband, her almost 2 year old and another family...and she said she had a very uncomfortable thing happen when she got back.

 

At the point where you get off the ship and show your documents (license and birth certificates)to the official, they were stopped and pulled aside. She said that the very gruff female officer read her daughters birth certificate and then tried multiple times to get the child to respond to her name. The child just hid her head in her mothers shoulder. She said after about 4 minutes of this (which I guess felt much longer) the officer returned the childs bc and told them "go".

 

She said she felt really embarassed and the child actually had tears running down her cheeks when she finally got her head up.

 

I guess I'm an advocate for getting passports now...if this is how they ID children!

 

That is not a weird experience. And, the officers are not necessarily "gruff" but efficient...that is what they are paid for. They simply can't make nice for you.

 

It is not unusual at all for the immigration people to talk to young children directly....so don't get all stressed out over this. Just make sure you have the child's original birth cert -OR- a state issued copy bearing a raised state seal (not the hospital cert with the cute little footprints). And - make sure your own documents are all in order and you will be fine.

 

There certainly isn't anything to be embarassed about! It is called "clearing Immigration"!

[rvrgirl]

That is not a weird experience. And, the officers are not necessarily "gruff" but efficient...that is what they are paid for. They simply can't make nice for you.

 

It is not unusual at all for the immigration people to talk to young children directly....so don't get all stressed out over this. Just make sure you have the child's original birth cert -OR- a state issued copy bearing a raised state seal (not the hospital cert with the cute little footprints). And - make sure your own documents are all in order and you will be fine.

 

There certainly isn't anything to be embarassed about! It is called "clearing Immigration"!

 

If you would read her thread and the one after that. This was her friends first such experience. So yes it was weird to them because they did not expect that to happen. Also they can be a little gruff as you say. It happened to a friend of ours and they were not polite at all. So it can be scary for a child. Especially at 2 years of age. Now after reading the posts the OP understands that it's for the safety of their child:)

[rvrgirl]

i totally understand why they do this, but here is a odd question, as a parent to a 4 year child who has major speech problems and other special needs and would not be able to answers to what some think as simple questions i'm wondering what would happen? what would customs do? this is just a question iam throwing out there, we have never cruised with him but hope to soon, i quess getting his passport would be a good thing?

-thanks for answering my question

-marie

 

I would play it safe and get passports:)

[StacyandTim]

I would gladly give up 4 uncomfortable minutes for both myself and my son if it could save just ONE child from leaving the ship with someone they didn't belong with!!!

 

**claps in agreement**