U.S. Immigration. WTF?

[KennDodd]

Why are they so rude?

The US immigration officers have always been fine with me, but last time I re-entered the UK (from the US actually!) I got a right grilling from the immigration officer about why I'd left the country, where I'd been, what had I done, how long had I been gone, was I planning to stay here. She was very rude and very abrupt.

As it's obviously relevant, I'm British and had presented her with my full British passport.

@DramaRamaLlama , no I don't have stats. It's not my country and it's not my taxes that are paying for them. They do what they feel they have to do based on what their authorities tell them to do. My job is to keep my head down and get through it with minimum drama. Pouting crossly at them is one of the most pointless things I can imagine doing in that situation.

I presume illegal immigration via airports comes in the form of visitors who don’t leave.
When I go through Heathrow I’m asked about my pension (retired) and dh is asked about his hobby. I’m sure all this is on their screen. Same when we go to the USA.
But the underlying tone is “are you coming to visit or stay”?

I got flustered in JFK because the woman was sending us all different ways and I didn't know which direction I was being sent. She proceeded to ask me if I was ok and said I looked nervous and flustered She may aswell have said I think you've got a kilo of cocaine strapped to your arse coz that's what it felt like she was insinuating

@DramaRamaLlama
The stats are in the article I linked

www.npr.org/2019/01/10/683662691/where-does-illegal-immigration-mostly-occur-heres-what-the-data-tell-us?t=1561044973557

They are business like. I think it can often come across as rude and abrupt.

It is hardly a warm welcome, and it is the first impression any first time visitors get of the country, which can be a shame as it is off-putting.

The trick is to just suck it up and answer the questions, nothing else.

Once through though everything is much better in my experience. I've enjoyed our few trips over there, and would go again.

Mind you, I remember being questioned about whether or not my then two year old daughter had ever been refused leave to adopt a child in the USA. I never did work out what that one was about

inniu thanks.

Interestingly the thing that stands out to me is just how few illegal immigrants there are.

I also wouldn't categorise those who enter legally (even if they later become illegal immigrants) as illegal immigrants but accept this may be how the US classification system looks.

Either way doesn't appear there are significant numbers of brits entering illegally

@DramaRamaLlama and so UK citizens should be treated differently because they are British . Which, dare I mention the B word, is why we are in a mess in our own country in the first place. Because we believe people should adjust their position for our convenience.
Just because they speak English doesn't mean they are subservient to our needs. I assume you know that, right?

You would think families travelling to Florida during school holidays, with booked hotel accommodation, return flights and Disney tickets aren't likely to be illegal immigrants planning to get menial jobs in the black economy.

You would think people planning to overstay their visa might sneak in with a bunch of British tourists. Because that is a good idea. If you are that way inclined.

Well we're quite happy not to have you back @KennDodd so you can stop moaning now.

We have been to the US on numerous occasions but have only crossed the land boarder twice. Last year we crossed at Peace Bridge from Canada to the US. We stopped at the drive up booth and knew that we would have to park the car up and go into immigration. They took away our passports at the booth and they had them taken over separately to us. We parked up and went into the waiting room. It was a strange feeling, no phones allowed so we sat and people watched. Oldest Ds thought it was great as he has spent all his younger years watching customs and immigration programmes on tv, he felt like he was part of some kind of documentary. Some guy was dragged through having been hand cuffed.

We were seen reasonably quickly, not sure what some of the other people in there thought about that as they looked like they had been there a long time. For us it felt like a bit of an adventure as we knew there would be no problems. But sitting there without our passports for twenty minutes in a stark room on a border was a little weird, I can't imagine what it feels like sat in a room like that if you have immigration concerns or issues. Not the most welcoming entrance although the immigration officer was reasonably friendly but I guess it is necessary.

OP, surely they have to ask you questions to find out if you have return flights, hotels, Disney tickets etc. They may not be very polite but they’re also not psychic and they have to ask you questions to determine if you’re planning on overstaying and remaining in the country illegally or if you’re just having a nice family holiday. That’s exactly their job! And as a PP has pointed out, most illegal immigrants don’t sneak through the Mexican border after dark, they arrive legitimately and pass through a point of entry. I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience in the past and I agree some of them could be a bit more polite but you can’t criticise them for doing their jobs and questioning you.

You're really grasping at straws here now, Ken. Honestly. I'm BAME and Canadian British have crossed into the US loads of times, had one rude one at Newark one time but the rest, doing their jobs. Have had more trouble landing in Toronto and also again, bloody T5 and I have a British passport. OMG, I was last grilled in Toronto by an Eastern Asian official. Must be racist . . .

I'm not normally an anxious person, not in the slightest, but I am genuinely worried about being shouted at in front of my children (like last time) when I've been perfectly polite, with a friendly smile and have done nothing wrong. I don't like my children seeing people treat us and them, like this and that we don't dare say anything to pull them up on it for fear of the consequences.

OralBElectricToothbrush

Why do you say that? Is it because my black friend was quizzed about why she was married to a white man?

I travel to the USA every year (different airports) and have never had a problem with immigration staff. Sometimes they are a bit stern faced but i’ve never had any aggression or rudeness to the point of making any of my party cry.

Because you're making all sorts of ridiculous generalisations based on your one experience, Kenn, and that post about how an illegal or terrorist would of course never be part of a load of British tourists is frankly an insulting generalisation. But do carry on, you seem bent on it.

I encountered some particularly vile ones in Miami

I never mentioned terrorist. In the post above, I never mentioned British either, I said families, I didn't say British families. And do you know what, even if people are trying to enter America illegally, or over stay, or seek work, there is STILL no reason to shout at them.

I have entered the US many times, with and without family. I've been grilled about various things but I have never been shouted at at the booths or seen anyone being shouted at so I think you've been very unlucky OP. Usually the people in the booths are glacially calm. I have seen people shouted at in the queue for getting phones out (huge signs saying this isn't allowed) and for stepping forward before being called.

bellinisurge pretty sure I didn't say brits should be treated differently

However one would imagine if you're going to profile your visitors - which the US clearly do - you'd focus your time and attention on people who had flagged up concerns via the significant amount of info provided via the ESTA /visa route.

I know there are no concerns with my status. I have travelled to the US 30+ times in the past 5 years. I have a B-1 visa for which I provided copious info and was interviewed at an embassy.

My US based company provides assurances for me and I meet all the requirements for a business /tourist visa.

That hasn't stopped me being pulled into rooms to be asked "how my husband feels about me travelling alone" why I'd want to visit a "fucked up" county "like Iran" or "what's so special about my job that an American can't do it"

Ok, then, Kenn, complain by their official channels then, I'm sure they have them. My parents are from India I'm a triple national, I've been grilled, taken into rooms, shouted at, had my bags routed through with guns all sorts in various parts of the world, strip searched but don't take one bad experience as indicative of entire nations to generalise about the whole place on the internet, IYKWIM.

I'd agree with that. Yes US customs officials are notoriously rude, I thought that was well known?

I meant agree with Kenn. Thread had moved on.