To think that this sounds very fishy and untrue.

[ColinRobinsonsfamiliar]

My fil is an arse. No two ways about it.

We took him & mil to Florida for a holiday. Their first holiday abroad ever.

We gave them some brochures to read up on where we were going prior to going.

FIL read the small print on the back of the brochure and declared that he couldn’t go because he had a conviction that he had never disclosed to the family.
He was referring to the ESTA.

He revealed that he was arrested in 1968 for a minor theft from his job. (Think an off cut from the simple product). Also stole a tax disc and got caught.
He ended up travelling to London to the Embassy to be interviewed face to face to be assessed for suitability to holiday in America.This was a stipulation of the revelation of the arrest.
was granted this.
On arrival at the airport, going through passport control, fil was taken off into an interview room while we were ushered through the airport with all of the other traveler’s.
He was interviewed for nearly 2 hours before being released to continue his holiday.

I can’t help thinking that there is no way that this was because of a “minor theft”.
Anyone in the know could maybe shed Some light on this ?
It has bugged me for ages.

This is shocking - surely they get people from Sweden going over regularly? Why wouldn't they be clued up on basic geography?

So thick!

I went to US to deliver a lecture at Yale University - I was held for ages and repeatedly asked if I was pregnant. Eventually they let me go.

WhereAreMyAirpods • Today 15:43
......
The US is very careful about who it admits and yes, 2 hours to get through security and be interviewed by Homeland security seems pretty quick.
The US is very careful about who it admits? Also at the Southern border?

Speaking of uberzealots immigration officials, no need to travel to USA to enjoy the "full experience".
Few years ago, after returning from Europe, at Heathrow airport I was walking through a long corridor between the disembarkation gate and the passport control, when out of nowhere 3 characters dressed all in black with Rottweiler-like body language jumped on me with the "gotcha" look on their face.
They started asking me all sort of questions in "slow enough for you, dummy" English.
When I showed them my UK passport, and other papers related to my trip in Europe, the look of dejection on their faces was something to remember, Did they say sorry? Yeah, sure.

My dad had various petty crimes from 30+ years ago on his record (things like joyriding and maybe something similar to tax disk ‘fraud’) .. I don’t know the ins and outs but he’s able to get an ESTA.

:-0 I am NEVER, EVER going to the States..

As regards race, my DD was getting her first passport a few years ago. She had to be interviewed at the passport office & was asked who her friends were. A, B, C (English names) & D (Pakistani name). Oh boy, did they want to know all about HIM.
He is my DD's best pal, the nicest lad you could ever meet, born here, etc etc.. to say we were shocked would be putting it mildly. :-(

A proper die-hard pedant would have insisted on the full "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"

Oh well. Bang goes my dream of visiting the Met…

As an American, I've been treated the same way entering Europe, and Africa, and Asia. I don't have so much as a misdemeanor on my record, but I carried a very high security clearance throughout my working life, so foreign security services had me flagged.

I just dealt with it. Every country has a right to control who enters. If you don't like it, stay home.

As for the US being particularly heavy handed--it's not. Trust me, there are plenty of worse countries. At least the US has a reason. So far in 2022 the border control has processed 1.5 million illegal entrants, with an estimated 500,000 having entered without encountering any US officials at all. That's just 7 months! Just because you don't want to live here doesn't mean that millions of others don't. According to a Gallup poll, 42 million south American want to migrate here.

Our border agents aren't on a power trip, although I'm sure many could use a lesson in common courtesy, but they are under enormous stress every day. Again, if it's so horrible, don't bother to come.

Why?

Have been to US many times. Border guards fine. In some cases, very lovely.

What is it about US immigration? I have waited in quques of over 2 hours just because there weren’t enough of them pre covid. It’s like they REALLY enjoy all those people crowding into the arrivals hall and are laughing at us all from one way screens.

I am going to NYC end of Aug and that is the bit I am really not looking forward to.

It's the same in Aus

Very ott

Some of them can be arses for no reason, absolute power trip. Me and my family shouted at by a guy because he wasn’t happy with how we placed our passports into a pile after he asked us to do so, seriously.
Mind you I’ve experienced worse in the world, Cambodia, where you often have to bribe them to enter the country despite several signs there informing you not to… which seems daft considering they’ll literally not allow you to enter unless you do.

Not surprised by this at all! One of my friends with middle eastern stamps on her passport gets pulled pretty often visiting the US with family. They go on church mission type visits as a family, hence the stamps but it's always her that gets pulled and only her! She says it takes ages. My cousin also got detained for hours crossing the US-Canada border, supposed passport issue I think. Fair enough that they check but he said it was very intimidating, especially as it all turned out ok. Someone else I know got bollocked at US customs for having a lock on their case.

In contrast, DP has a wrongful arrest on his record - although it was wrongful so he hasn't had to declare it- and was in the country to visit his american then-GF and said so. He got through immigration at New York very easily.

Fil has form for dishonesty. Hence the arse comment. Big back story.

From all of the comments it seems that it’s all about right though.

No matter what crime you have committed or intend to commit, you can come up through our southern border , it's wide open.

But what has that got to do with woodcraft folk?

Just remembered - I got called into secondary questioning once, they were nice, I have no issue with them checking who is coming in. Yes, I'd have loved to work there!

I'm not white either but still find it fine. I assume they have a LOT of information attached to your passport now.

Pp mentioned delay in approval for ESTA due to chronic condition. I had that too but it didn't occur to me to think anything bad of it.

I know everyone likes a good Yank bashing but the same thing happens with people coming into the UK. I was detained for about 3 hours while they went through every bit of my luggage and read every bit of paper I was carrying. My husband had arranged to have a driver pick me up (we didn't own a car and OH didn't drive in any case) and the driver was waiting outside in the meeting area (whatever you call it) outside security watching everyone else from my flight go by. He called my husband a couple of times to report I was a no show and asked "are you sure she was planning to fly here?" Eventually I was let through with and managed to get home. The reason there was an issue, apparently, was despite having a suitable stamp in my current passport my original visa was in an old passport which I'd packed in my suitcase.

fyi - should it matter to anyone I'm white and English is my first language so it's not always about obvious racism. (though I've seen how they treat people of colour at the US borders!)

American immigration are insane. Interviewed my friend for hours because he looks Arab (he’s Jewish not Arab actually and as British as you get). I’ve been a few times and found them incredibly aggressive and hostile and searching for any reason to stop you.

This is my life. Always questioned or pulled over for 'random' screening in the US and it's put me off travelling there ever again.

To be fair it happens a lot at security in UK airports too even though I'm normally travelling with my white husband. I call them not so random brown girl checks though obviously I can't make a fuss for fear of reprisals.

This used to happen to my dad every time we went to the states as he has quite a common name. The funniest part was that he worked as a police officer in a really senior role so was perhaps the last person you'd imagine to be a career criminal 😂

My granny was American and my aunts went over several times to visit family in the 70s. One of my aunts was born in China so every time she went she had a serious grilling. The only reason she had been born there was because that was where my grandpa happened to be working at the time.

Even minor criminal acts are brought up on the esta

You can apply for a redress number so that this doesn't happen anymore. It's a fairly easy and straight forward process, it does take some time. You can do it all by e-mail though. Then when you book tickets you just put your redress number in along with your name and passport number and it should help with you being confused with someone with the same name, like a terrorist or drug dealer lady.

@BritWifeInUSA yeah after our last trip we decided not to bother any more. Plenty other fabulous places in the world to see, with less chance of being shot while sightseeing or going to a theatre show