Screw US Customs

[saymyname]

I think you're being way too sensitive if you're letting the border agents get to you. You'll survive the questions. Get over yourself.

 

[Jmman]

Originally posted by: saymyname
I'm white, and although the Canadians let me cross the Pacific border with just my drivers license, when I came back I did have to go inside for a brief interview and explaination as to why I didn't have more docs with me, what I did, what I was doing, where I worked, where I got my degree, where I lived, etc etc and why I was in Canada for only 4 hours.

I think you're being over sensitive and are trying to pull the race card when you really don't need to.

I was detained and questioned in a little room in Canada and I am white as can be........

 

[EKKC]

Originally posted by: Rumpltzer
I'm half Irish and half Taiwanese. When I was a kid living all over the place, people thought I was Hawaiian or Samoan. Now that I'm in California, people tend to guess Mexican. 😀

I make two or three border crossings a year through LAX. It sucks. I mean, welcome back to America takes the form of some dillholes yelling in your face to get in this or that line and to get off the phone while standing in line. Then some idiot who hates his job slowly scans my documents and asks me how long I was gone and where I had been and whether I brought any food back. It's not a pleasant experience.

I have my documents together and complete, answer questions, say nothing else, and get through it as quickly as possible.

I think the OP is describing a typical experience with US customs. What about it?


BTW, customs officials were pricks even before 9/11.

QFT, and bolded.
keep your mouth shut, especially if you are not a citizen, they do not have the obligation to let you in. answer their questions, say nothing if hassled. and they'll let you through.

i went to europe last month, and i was asked a bunch of questions when landed in amsterdam. the guy was nice, greeted me but he asked me what im doing, where im going, how long im staying for. standard questions. came back to nyc and the agent wasn't nice at all. but why should i bother with him, it's not like i'll cross path with him again.

 

[archiloco]

i get asked those questions too, but i am mexican. they always go into, where do you live, where do you work, do you study, do you own this car, what where you doing in mexico, where where you born, can i see your id? it's basic stuff when crossing, but i guess you are more angry at the way they ask these questions????

 

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: SuperSix
You are required to have a passport, not an arrangement of other documents.

While I don't agree with said profiling, you didn't have the proper documentation. You're damn lucky you got in at all.

Nevt time, have your paperwork ready, and correct.

You do not need a Passport to go from Canada to the US or vice/versa.

As stated by Mosh below your post:

they want a driver's license and a birth certificate or a passport

So yes, you do need it. OR the other required items.

 

[KarenMarie]

I am white and middle aged. I get this occasionally when going to the UK. I see ppl of all ages and colors get this when ever I travel.

Sucks, but it is what it is.

 

[HomeAppraiser]

Originally posted by: SuperSix

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: SuperSix
You are required to have a passport, not an arrangement of other documents.

While I don't agree with said profiling, you didn't have the proper documentation. You're damn lucky you got in at all.

Nevt time, have your paperwork ready, and correct.

You do not need a Passport to go from Canada to the US or vice/versa.

As stated by Mosh below your post:

they want a driver's license and a birth certificate or a passport

So yes, you do need it. OR the other required items.

The Canadian Customs guy was really laid back for us. He asked "Where do you call home?" "Where are you going?" "How long are you staying?" and "Are you bringing any goods?"

We were leaning over to hand him our IDs and papers and he said "Off you go" Huh? "Have a nice trip" Oh ok thanks!

He didn't even look at our IDs. Here I was all worried because I did not get a copy of my birth certificate from California before leaving and only had a drivers license and voter registration card (which is all that is required to get back in to the US at this time). We got back to the crossing at midnite and had no problems getting back in to the states. The chunky gal took our ID's and paperwork, typed in the computer asked if we had any items to declaire and we were done.

 

[SampSon]

I've crossed the border so many times I can't even begin to count, hell, I cross the border into Canada to go for lunch. I'm white but look very mediterranean and I've been hassled and searched so many times. I've also been let through with only one question from the border agent. So they do their job, and if they racially profile people who look of middle eastern descent then so be it, they have all the reason to do so.

What I find hilarious is that you post a thread about racist border agents and fill your entire post with racist remarks and condescending racial attitude. You cross the border without the proper ID required to cross the US/Canadian border and are stupid enough to bitch about it when they give you a hard time. Then you think that because your family has been here for a few generations and have substantial sums of wealth that you deserve special treatment. If your attitude here is any indication than I am willing to bet that when dealing with border agents you're an arrogant prick and show no respect for them what-so-ever.

Way to be a whiney, racist, entitlement driven little snot.

 

[blahter]

why did you have your passport and birth certificate in a box? shouldn't you always be in possesion of them? Imagine if the box gets lost or something

 

[RichardE]

Originally posted by: RyanSengara

Originally posted by: EKKC

Originally posted by: RyanSengara

Originally posted by: saymyname
*insert emo music*

****** you whitey/fobbie/blackie (insert stereotypical racist name) how'd you like to go to the middle east/asia/africa and be racially profiled?


4 pieces of ID should be enough to avoid interrogation.

um... americans are being racially profiled in the middle east and parts of asia africa. its called roadside bombing, kidnapping, and decapitation :roll:

I'm not gonna turn this into a P&N thread.

Too late

Your fault for not having your passport. You know what it is like now, you should have been prepared.

Im white as can be and got detained for 5 hours because I did not my passport when I went over to detroit...and this is the Windsor/Detroit crossing.

 

[BatmanNate]

The last time I crossed into the states from CA was at 3am in a hoopty with a mean buzz and a passed out philipino dude in the back. And the trunk didn't open. They waved me right on through though, God bless 'em. 😀

 

[BooGiMaN]

Originally posted by: Phoenix86

Originally posted by: RyanSengara
Background Info: I'm a half-East Indian half english citizen of Canada, and my East Indian side of my family has probably been in North America for longer than most of you guys. I'm 5th generation

In a thick drawl ((later referred to as "hick")) the guy goes 'I don't give a damn who the hell you are, it's my job to keep people like you (by that he meant brown people) out of my country'. At which point I shut up because my teacher told me to just let it go (I have a very explosive temper).

After waiting for 40 minutes to cross we finally get up and some dumb FOB tells me that my 4 pieces of ID aren't good enough and he needs a birth certificate, at which point I tell him to look at my brothers passport, our home address and last names are the same and we look almost identical. We tell him our mom went down yesterday and give him her name (he brings her file up on the computer and sees a white woman)... at which point he looks at us funny because my mom is white.

The fat white lady wouldn't let my uncle in, because he, like me, couldn't get his passport and only had his DL, and SIN card. She treated him like ****** till he told her he was a pallative physician and to stop giving him ****** because is stressed out from dealing with people that have terminal cancer and that she should shut the ****** up and annoy someone else.

Perhaps you are a bit racist yourself. Your multi-cultural backround and being 5th generation does not prevent this.

edit: I'm not saying your were treated properly or excusing the border agent's actions, just that you may have a chip on your shoulder as well...

That is exactly what i was going to point out...i understand your mad about what happened but for someone so worked up about being racially profiled you sure are throwing a lot of racial stereotypes and isults around in your posts....whats up with that

by the way if you know this happenes 'all the time' why dont you plan ahead and why aren't you better prepared with the correct documentation?

 

[MrCodeDude]

Oh, the benefits of being white. I can stroll past borders with ease. I greet Customs Officials with a hearty smile and bright eyes and they whistle me through, "We are proud to welcome you, an upstanding white land-owning male, to our country!"

 

[miniMUNCH]

OP: If you had your passport then there wouldn't be problem.

I'm white...US customs wouldn't let me through at Vancouver airport with my California DL 3 years ago.

Stop fvcking complaining.

 

[AStar617]

I'm a black American citizen (natural-born) with an Arabic first name, and get harrassed every time I try to cross the border from VT to Quebec. And true, all I ever seem see getting pulled aside for vehicle searches or going into that border station for "verification" are brown-skinned individuals.

However, my ordeals were while all my paperwork was 100% correct... what the f*ck do you expect to encounter if you don't have a passport? You lose the ability to complain if you ARE trying to cross the border improperly... weak rant, sorry. :thumbsdown:

This thread reminds me of a friend who was pissed a few years ago because a state trooper didn't accept a major credit card, student ID, and library card in lieu of a driver's license. 😕

 

[Doboji]

whatever dude... Canada has raped my butt in customs before...

read this:

Text

 

[tweakmm]

If it makes you feel any better I threw up in line for customs New Years Day many years ago. :laugh:

 

[little elvis]

First off, you can cross the Canadian/U.S. boarder with Just a drivers license, many of my friends do it all the time, a birth certificate may be a requirement, but it is not usually enforced. If the OP was a white male, he would have likely been waved through without a second look. But the reality of the situation is that the OP should have known better and travelled with a passport, especially due to the colour of his skin.

I always, always have issues with U.S. Customs, I refuse to travel to the U.S. without a white friend with me, use as a buffer/insurance, sad, but it is the reality of the situation. My friends used to call me paranoid, until I was crossing over the Canadian/U.S. border with a friend (white) early one morning, for another friends wedding, apparently the U.S. Immigration Officer didn't like the fact I travel so much.... I guess Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe, Namibia and Botswana must be now considered terrorist recruiting grounds.... Anyways, both of us were taken in for questioning, I should rephrase, I was taken in for questioning while, my friend was not asked anything. After a full search of the car, and 40 minutes of questioning we were allowed to go through. Not one of my friends call me parnoid anymore!!

I don't let it bother me too much anymore, I realize if I want the travel to the U.S. I'm going to have to put up with, sad but it's the reality of the situation.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: saymyname
I'm white, and although the Canadians let me cross the Pacific border with just my drivers license, when I came back I did have to go inside for a brief interview and explaination as to why I didn't have more docs with me, what I did, what I was doing, where I worked, where I got my degree, where I lived, etc etc and why I was in Canada for only 4 hours.

I think you're being over sensitive and are trying to pull the race card when you really don't need to.

..everytime my family comes home from Salvador or Ireland they go thru the same dance.

 

[buck]

Get over it; I have caught just as much sh1t over the years being an average white guy. Post 9/11 I was stopped and searched 6 times in 2 days at Newark. Picked out of customs EVERYTIME I have come back from Costa Rica and put in a special room for my added comfort. Harassed at the Canadian border 3 times for stupid sh1t that I couldn?t help. They are assholes depending how you look at it, but they have a job, and I can?t do sh1t about it.

 

[Kanalua]

Originally posted by: RyanSengara
P.S. My family has a place in Hawaii and we bring our title of ownership with us every trip ( we go down once or twice a year for the past 15 years and they give us garbage everytime )

Stop stealing our land...give it back to the Hawaiians it was stolen from...

 

[secretanchitman]

dont feel too bad. out of my family (100% indian), the only one who gets checked/stopped ALL THE TIME in EVERY SINGLE airport security is me. im 17 years old, i dont look indian (people tell me that all the time), yes im a bit hairy for my age, but im average built, yet people (those security people) treat me like garbage. i have all my id's thanks to my parents, but still they always let my bro, mom and dad through, but never me. and this has happened every single time since i went into my teenage years.

i feel ya bro.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: RyanSengara
Background Info: I'm a half-East Indian half english citizen of Canada, and my East Indian side of my family has probably been in North America for longer than most of you guys. I'm 5th generation

Here's a slight rant:

Post 9/11 I've been subjected to some pretty ludicris ******, though given what happened to you guys I can't really blame the precautions, I'll even take the blatant 'random testing' of brown people, hell all except for two of the Islamic people I know are religious crazies.

But I'm getting pretty sick of this ******. I don't wear a turban, I have no Koran, I go to temple maybe once or twice a year for weddings or funerals, my dad is a non-practicing Sikh and I'm nothing (my mom is Anglican).

My first encounter with US Customs was 3 years ago in High School, I was crossing the border with my school for a Model United Nations trip, when I went through customs in Montreal. I gave the guy my customs declaration form, but it was upside down, the customs officer told me to turn it over. I quickly grap it with my hand and flop it over with my palm. The customs officer looks me straight in the eye and says 'Why did you do that?', with a puzzled look on my face I say 'Do what?'.. he says 'Flip over the form like that?'.. followed by more comments by me like 'I have no idea what your talking about..'

In a thick drawl the guy goes 'I don't give a damn who the hell you are, it's my job to keep people like you (by that he meant brown people) out of my country'. At which point I shut up because my teacher told me to just let it go (I have a very explosive temper).

That was my first encounter.

My second encounter (amongst other minor encounters) was today. I was crossing at the pacific border crossing just south of Vancouver to go to Roche Harbour for my grandpa's 70th birthday.

I'm visiting my caucasian side of my family. My passport is currently in a box being shipped back from college because I'm home for the summer, and my birth certificate is with it. As a result I bring my drivers license, federally issued Social Insurance Card, BC Health Card, and my photo student ID (Provincially Issued).. hoping that it will be okay.

My brother was coming with me and we have the same home address' and he brought his passport so I thought we would be okay.

After waiting for 40 minutes to cross we finally get up and some dumb FOB tells me that my 4 pieces of ID aren't good enough and he needs a birth certificate, at which point I tell him to look at my brothers passport, our home address and last names are the same and we look almost identical. We tell him our mom went down yesterday and give him her name (he brings her file up on the computer and sees a white woman)... at which point he looks at us funny because my mom is white.

Yes douchebag, my mom is white, my parents are in a mixed marraige, not all of us are backwards and xenophobic like you, you piece of ******. Of course I didn't say this to his face.

He starts getting all angry at me, and starts asking some personal questions, where I'm from, where I go to school, what I'm studying, what my summer job is, what year of university I'm in. Total bullshit stuff, at which point I tell him to slow down because I'm getting a bit nervous, the guy is trying to light a fire under my ass.

This of course is in front of my little brother.

Finally the prick lets me through. I get to Bellingham Airport and fly for half an hour to meet up with my caucasian family members who brought down their 3 boats.

When I arrive I hear about their terrible experience with US Customs.

The fat white lady wouldn't let my uncle in, because he, like me, couldn't get his passport and only had his DL, and SIN card. She treated him like ****** till he told her he was a pallative physician and to stop giving him ****** because is stressed out from dealing with people that have terminal cancer and that she should shut the ****** up and annoy someone else.

Of course, I've never seen my uncle lose his temper, after dealing with people in pallative care for so long he's become pretty somber.

My other uncle got the same ol bit too.

****** Customs.

Cliffnotes:

Read the ****** post.

P.S. My family has a place in Hawaii and we bring our title of ownership with us every trip ( we go down once or twice a year for the past 15 years and they give us garbage everytime )

only read some of it then skipped down to the cliffs.

dumbass for not bringing your passport in this racial profiling times. you should have known better given your 1st encounter w/customs

fool me once, shame on him. fool me twice, shame on ME!

 

[OfficeLinebacker]

We all have run-ins with idiots/incopmetent people.

I used to get pissed off, because I would think to myself how if I were doing that job, I would do it RIGHT.

You know what? That person is not me, or you.

What kind of people do you think become border agents? People with a strong sense of intellectual curiosity? Highly educated people with marketable skills?

You get what you pay for. That's true for people, too.

The pool of human beings in the US is simply too shallow to support expert food servers, gas station attendants, soldiers, and border agents.

That border agent isn't exactly very high on the totem pole. What modicum of power he has, he's going to wield. Sorry.

 

[Molondo]

The borders are swarming with gestapo agents !