US Customs are Getting Bad

[MattHanson1990]

These border patrol checkpoints on us soil inside the border but within the mileage range the courts should never have approved without declared war....they need to go.

Assuming you're also from New Mexico, there are currently six checkpoints in that state:

- There's one on northbound I-25 about 15 miles from Las Cruces as you're headed towards Albuquerque. It used to be near Truth or Consequences but they moved it closer to Las Cruces.

- I-10 westbound about 20 or so miles outside Las Cruces when going towards Tucson, Arizona

- US 70 eastbound near the White Sands Missile Range between Las Cruces and Alamogordo

- US 54 northbound headed towards Alamogordo from El Paso, Texas

- NM state road 11 north going from Columbus to Deming

- NM state road 185 just north of the small town of Radium Springs (the last exit on I-25 before the checkpoint)

[fdiv]

My main gripe I have with U.S. customs is that they ask questions when you're re-entering the country from abroad. "What were you doing in (insert name of country)?" "What do you do for a living?" "Why were you outside of the U.S. for so long?" This is why I'm looking to get at least permanent residency in Mexico ASAP, and is also why I'm not wanting to set foot in the U.S. anymore (unless I can get global entry and TSA pre-check, which in this case I can only enter the U.S. at an airport, not a land crossing).

If that triggers you, you should see customs in Japan. I felt like I accidentally landed in North Korea but it was only Narita!

[MattHanson1990]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

Coming back from Asia into LAX, all smiles and waves from CBP immigration officers....whilst....
coming back from Latin America, and German shepherds are accosting assholes (literally). I almost
got detained/quarantined for pushing a German shepherd out of my asshole for ramming its snout
up my ass crack and the White CBP fat woman bellowed at me, "Hey! Don't you ever touch CBP property again!"

"Whatever the fcuk you say"

The Chicano CBP officer interjects, "You should watch your language in here". His parents probably came here illegally - the fcuking nerve of him!!

I always get sent to secondary inspection when I fly back into George Bush Intercontinental (Houston), FLL (Ft. Lauderdale) or MIA en route coming from Latin America.
I probably shouldn't type this for the general public peanut gallery here, but O'Hare was the easiest walkthrough CBP ever. Cool White guys there. lol
JFK most of the time, too. The Spanish CBP officers are type chill when it comes to me.

I also heard that flying into Detroit-Wayne County Int'l is a monstrosity from those Black CBP and TSA agents there.

[CannedHam]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

Coming back from Asia into LAX, all smiles and waves from CBP immigration officers....whilst....
coming back from Latin America, and German shepherds are accosting assholes (literally). I almost
got detained/quarantined for pushing a German shepherd out of my asshole for ramming its snout
up my ass crack and the White CBP fat woman bellowed at me, "Hey! Don't you ever touch CBP property again!"

"Whatever the fcuk you say"

The Chicano CBP officer interjects, "You should watch your language in here". His parents probably came here illegally - the fcuking nerve of him!!

I always get sent to secondary inspection when I fly back into George Bush Intercontinental (Houston), FLL (Ft. Lauderdale) or MIA en route coming from Latin America.
I probably shouldn't type this for the general public peanut gallery here, but O'Hare was the easiest walkthrough CBP ever. Cool White guys there. lol
JFK most of the time, too. The Spanish CBP officers are type chill when it comes to me.

I also heard that flying into Detroit-Wayne County Int'l is a monstrosity from those Black CBP and TSA agents there.

Years back when I lived in Chicago I had a Mexican girlfriend who had a huge family and they would regularly travel between Chicago and Mexico, all of them here legally for decades. It pissed them off to no end that the cuntiest border agents were always those of hispanic/chicano origin. Some airports you can choose the line - they'd always go for the older fat white guys who would usually wave them through without any questioning.

[CannedHam]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

Be careful - I know a lot of people who travel to the US frequently and they've told me they always get hassled more coming into small airports where the CBP guys have a lot of time to spend with each traveler since there are so few international flights (places like Phoenix, Portland, Austin etc.) The guys at LAX and O'Hare may be gruff, rude, and unwelcoming pricks, but they usually won't do s**t like search your phone you unless they have a really good reason to.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

Be careful - I know a lot of people who travel to the US frequently and they've told me they always get hassled more coming into small airports where the CBP guys have a lot of time to spend with each traveler since there are so few international flights (places like Phoenix, Portland, Austin etc.) The guys at LAX and O'Hare may be gruff, rude, and unwelcoming pricks, but they usually won't do s**t like search your phone you unless they have a really good reason to.

They are never welcoming; they never say "Welcome [back] to the United Sates of America [or USA even]".

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

At land crossings, you definitely do get asked questions, especially if you're coming from Mexico. Many of these border towns are drug smuggling routes like Ciudad Juarez for example. This next time I go to the U.S. I'm entering via a relatively-smallish airport (small in comparison to major airports like Chicago O'Hare, JFK, and LAX).

Coming back from Asia into LAX, all smiles and waves from CBP immigration officers....whilst....
coming back from Latin America, and German shepherds are accosting assholes (literally). I almost
got detained/quarantined for pushing a German shepherd out of my asshole for ramming its snout
up my ass crack and the White CBP fat woman bellowed at me, "Hey! Don't you ever touch CBP property again!"

"Whatever the fcuk you say"

The Chicano CBP officer interjects, "You should watch your language in here". His parents probably came here illegally - the fcuking nerve of him!!

I always get sent to secondary inspection when I fly back into George Bush Intercontinental (Houston), FLL (Ft. Lauderdale) or MIA en route coming from Latin America.
I probably shouldn't type this for the general public peanut gallery here, but O'Hare was the easiest walkthrough CBP ever. Cool White guys there. lol
JFK most of the time, too. The Spanish CBP officers are type chill when it comes to me.

I also heard that flying into Detroit-Wayne County Int'l is a monstrosity from those Black CBP and TSA agents there.

Years back when I lived in Chicago I had a Mexican girlfriend who had a huge family and they would regularly travel between Chicago and Mexico, all of them here legally for decades. It pissed them off to no end that the cuntiest border agents were always those of Hispanic/Chicano origin. Some airports you can choose the line - they'd always go for the older fat white guys who would usually wave them through without any questioning.

It's ironic that you bring that up because I never, ever go for the Black CBP agents. The White ones are usually the coolest ones - even at the smaller airports, but the minority CBP ones can be the worst. Via Miami-Dade Int'l, I had a Dominican[-Americanized] CBP agent send me to the secondary inspection he yelled out, "We got another one". What the fcuk kind of sh_it is that?

[expat79]

It's true, they can be a bit abusive but it is their job to check for drugs and other illegal stuff. And nowadays even kids and grannies are carrying drugs so you can't be too careful. But yes, some of them are quite rude..

[MatureDJ]

I remember driving back from Canada, where I had done a few weeks of skiing, and I got the treatment. I had some ibuprofen tablets from Ukraine. They asked me what it was, and I told them. Wouldn't you know that when I got home, I noticed that they had taken a tiny chip out of every single tablet?

[MatureDJ]

Also, if you have pics on your laptop that you don't want them to see, put them in hidden folders. Right click on Folders and open properties to hide them. To see them, you have to go to View in Windows and select "View hidden folders". They would have to use a scanner to find them.

How would they know if the pics of Filipinas you have are underage or not? Many of them look underage but are not, because they are small and short.

In this day & age, it is absolutely ridiculous to spend so much time looking for p0rn on computer devices; folks could simply upload it to a server to "import" it. if you have photos like that, use a service like Box.com with password-protected zipped files, then delete (including clearing the Recycle Bin) when going through a border.

[MatureDJ]

What you do when you have been targeted for millenniums.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-w ... 78149.html

I don't mind the basic questioning and checks at an international border. This inspection of electronic equipment seems to violate the constitution big time at face value but is allowed to do by customs (customs not tsa). Wonder if they are trying to stop human trafficking.

These border patrol checkpoints on us soil inside the border but within the mileage range the courts should never have approved without declared war....they need to go.

Crossing a border is like the only time a regular law-abiding citizen gets hassled by cops and being treated like a criminal.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I don't mind the basic questioning and checks at an international border. This inspection of electronic equipment seems to violate the constitution big time at face value but is allowed to do by customs (customs not tsa).

A Customs inspection is considered a border search and is therefore not subject to the limitations of the 4th Amendment. The border has been interpreted as the airport or vehicular inspection station and approximately 10 miles radius surrounding such.

A border search can include almost any and all aspects including body searches.

That being the case, US Customs is not one to be trifled with. The more you push back, the more they want to dig deeper because they are empowered by law to be able to do so.

Any time I go thru Customs, I am very open, friendly and cooperative. The few times I get stopped, I get waved thru right after. Customs officials know how to read your reactions to inspections and the people with something to hide always react negatively and with push-back.

One of my stupid ex-girlfriends had her things gone thru with a fine tooth comb purely because she had a tantrum and could not understand that her lack of cooperation was the cause.

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

I don't mind the basic questioning and checks at an international border. This inspection of electronic equipment seems to violate the constitution big time at face value but is allowed to do by customs (customs not tsa).

A Customs inspection is considered a border search and is therefore not subject to the limitations of the 4th Amendment. The border has been interpreted as the airport or vehicular inspection station and approximately 10 miles radius surrounding such.

A border search can include almost any and all aspects including body searches.

That being the case, US Customs is not one to be trifled with. The more you push back, the more they want to dig deeper because they are empowered by law to be able to do so.

Any time I go thru Customs, I am very open, friendly and cooperative. The few times I get stopped, I get waved thru right after. Customs officials know how to read your reactions to inspections and the people with something to hide always react negatively and with push-back.

One of my stupid ex-girlfriends had her things gone thru with a fine tooth comb purely because she had a tantrum and could not understand that her lack of cooperation was the cause.

The same applies with Canadian customs...they are worst than the US CBP nowadays. Trust me.

[MattHanson1990]

Be careful - I know a lot of people who travel to the US frequently and they've told me they always get hassled more coming into small airports where the CBP guys have a lot of time to spend with each traveler since there are so few international flights (places like Phoenix, Portland, Austin etc.) The guys at LAX and O'Hare may be gruff, rude, and unwelcoming pricks, but they usually won't do s**t like search your phone you unless they have a really good reason to.

I'm back in the U.S. of Gay visiting family, and I entered via Albuquerque (took a flight there from Chihuahua). To my surprise, the airport in Albuquerque has those automated kiosks where you answer a few immigration questions, scan your passport, the machine takes your photo, prints out a receipt, and then you give that and your filled out declarations form to a CBP officer.

I found U.S. Customs at the Albuquerque Sunport to be more laid back compared to El Paso where they can be stiff and uptight; but this is just my first experience dealing with customs in Albuquerque.

Now, if only Volaris can resume Albuquerque-Guadalajara flights or even fly to Mexico City, León/Del Bajio, or Torreón, that would be awesome so that I wouldn't have to fly into Ciudad Juarez, spend a night a in El Paso, and then take the bus up to Albuquerque.