Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

U.S. Immigration. WTF?

297 replies

KennDodd · 19/06/2019 22:19

Why are they so rude?

OP posts:
ImpracticalCape · 20/06/2019 08:33

Ah okay. I don't have any stamps in my passports from the past 2 years of travelling to US regularly so I thought the kiosk allowed everyone free passage.

Last time I flew LHR to SFO however I got the dreaded SSSS on my boarding pass. Had to go to a special room for full on screening and Spanish Inquisition. Interesting that the two of us in there (747 aircraft) there was me on crutches and thigh high compression stockings and an elderly woman in a wheelchair....

OralBElectricToothbrush · 20/06/2019 08:34

Trust me, British ones aren't always nice when you don't have UK passport.

Some of them aren't nice even when you do have a UK passport! I hope never to have to go through T5 again.

CharDeeMacDennis · 20/06/2019 08:39

Only been once, but yeah, not a great experience! I was coming into the US overland from Canada, pre-9/11. The guy was really hostile, I felt like a criminal. He ended by ordering me to go and withdraw a certain sum of money from a cashpoint and then when I went to do it, sneering that he hadn't meant me to actually do it, he just wanted to know if I could.

By contrast, coming into Canada from the UK some months earlier, with barely any money, intending to work but with no job lined up, they couldn't have been nicer. I had a citizenship card with a photo of me as a baby (!) and they called their colleagues in to have a laugh about it, in a nice way, saying they could see it was me, go on we'll let you in Grin

edgeofheaven · 20/06/2019 08:40

Trust me, British ones aren't always nice when you don't have UK passport.

Agree. Border agents at Heathrow are quite horrible to non-British. I had a Canadian passport and ILR and still was made to feel like a usurping foreigner.

edgeofheaven · 20/06/2019 08:41

Oh and if you think the US is bad try Australia! They may be slightly "nicer" but they're ready to interrogate you over stray dandelion fluff that's landed on your handbag.

bellinisurge · 20/06/2019 08:42

Seriously, op, have you been following the news about US border stuff? Why on earth should they be nice to you. Or anyone.
Yes of course it is nice to be nice but that isn't their priority. And they have guns.
I always tell my family to smile and do everything they tell you. It's uncomfortable. It's not nice for my dd to see her parents being sheepish. Then it's over and we can get on with our holiday.
For what it's worth, I have been via Dublin where you can clear US immigration in Dublin airport and they were lovely. A better gig, I suppose.

DonkeyHohtay · 20/06/2019 08:42

Agree, they are very unpleasant. It's not nice being treated as a criminal. Especially when you're just off an 8 hour flight to Orlando, with a plane load of people who are all there on their holidays with their kids. Not coming to the US to stay illegally, or create civil unrest.

I think it sticks out so much because in all other aspects the customer service in the US is excellent compared to the UK. People can't do enough for you.

Original poster
KennDodd · 20/06/2019 08:44

Worrying how often SFO is mentioned, that's where we're flying to. God! I feel like I don't want to go anymore.

OP posts:
OralBElectricToothbrush · 20/06/2019 08:45

Hope you're not flying back into T5 because they're rude as AF there every single time I've gone. The security staff were nicer and that's saying much!

Peeltheseal · 20/06/2019 08:48

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

Original poster
KennDodd · 20/06/2019 08:49

I remember I met a US immigration officer socially about 30 years ago. He was nice in that situation. He said he used to like planes from the UK and Japan best as everyone was polite and nice.

I dread to think what they must be like if you can't speak English or another common language.

OP posts:
NaturalBornWoman · 20/06/2019 08:59

I was pretty shocked when I went to NYC earlier this year. The queue was massive, 2 hours massive, but that's just how it is. It was after we got to the little queues for the boxes that I realised we'd definitely ended up in the wrong one. The guy was just taking so much longer than the others, several people were getting done in the time he was taking for one, and when we finally got there he spotted a colleague walking by and called her over, stood up and left the box to hug her and stood talking to her for a full ten minutes whilst we stood there waiting. Rude.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 20/06/2019 08:59

Seriously, op, have you been following the news about US border stuff? Why on earth should they be nice to you. Or anyone.

Because you go there to spend silly money at their overpriced Disney resorts?

Original poster
KennDodd · 20/06/2019 09:04

I wonder if we'll all get this US style integration going to Europe post Brexit?

OP posts:
bellinisurge · 20/06/2019 09:20

take up the US border officials lack of customer service values with your MP, who can take it up with the US Ambassador. Who can laugh their arse off.
Yes, Disney brings money. The US is bigger than Disney and really doesn't care if you don't want to go. Other people in other countries do.

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 20/06/2019 09:27

It depends where you are flying to - New York is usually hideous (Maaaaaaaaammmmm) but in Boston they talk the hind legs off a donkey and give you their life history (lovely but not after a night flight!).

edgeofheaven · 20/06/2019 09:32

Because you go there to spend silly money at their overpriced Disney resorts?

Why on Earth would the Homeland Security department care how much you've spent at Disney?

There are businessmen coming in to sign multi-million dollar contracts and they get treated like rubbish too.

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 20/06/2019 10:00

Went to America in 1986 for my 21st . First holiday without friends or parents (but was staying with good family friends for the 3 weeks).
Landed in Newark and was pulled by Immigration simply because I had a lot of English magazines for my Mums friend (she had worked for IPC too, like Mum, when she had lived in England for some years) and he accused me of going there to work as a Nanny !!
He got really arsey about it and said "If I find you are here for that then you are on the next plane home"
Me ,, Tired and upset and pissed off replied "If you are representative of Americans I will gladly get on it".
All was sorted in the end but my mums friends husband was furious at them and fired off a long letter about it .
Only experience with US visiting . The Visa stamp at the Embassy was no problem at all mind

LadyBrienneofTarth · 20/06/2019 10:20

@KennDodd

I fly into sfo about 35 times a year (not exaggerating). I've never had a problem there. I find that they are respectful if you are. Americans take their uniforms very seriously and if you give them respect, they tend to give it back.

PinkieTuscadero · 20/06/2019 10:33

'have you been following the news about US border stuff? Why on earth should they be nice to you. Or anyone.'

The bullshit fear mongering about the US-Mexico border, you mean?

SemperIdem · 20/06/2019 11:23

Chardonnay

Are you joking?

notmylittleangel · 20/06/2019 11:25

Never had an issue, not particularly friendly but not rude either.
Worse airport is Orlando - the queues are horrendous! 2-3 hours every time!
Rather fly to Miami and drive up to Orlando

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 20/06/2019 11:26

Am I?

No, I really think that with millions of tourists going to the US, not only Disney, of course they shouldn’t make such a poor first impression. The border staff represents their country, being rude is just poor form.

WhatHaveIFound · 20/06/2019 11:33

I have never had a problem when travelling as a family, only when DH and i are travelling alone. They assumed we were trying to get work there and got quite nasty. They didn't bother when my DH was on his own so i have put it down to the fact that i'm mixed race!

Do try not to worry though. SFO were really very friendly/chatty when we went there last year. So much better experience than New York.

oyoyoy · 20/06/2019 11:42

Wow, it's reassuring reading about everyone's experiences because it makes me realise it's not just us 'coloureds' (😡) or BME people they have an issue with. The amount of times we've be pulled out of a 'random' lineup is depressing. The worst one for us has to be Israel- the guards have a God complex out there.