Border crossing with residency card (aka green card)

[trailmix 77]

In a bit, I'll post part 2 of my experiences here: "A sure way to get rid of tourism."

You are probably not far off, but I guess they don't want our tourism dollars, and that's ok.

[SpiritAlight 1]

I'm a 51 year-old white guy, educated, clean cut, short hair, friendly smile. My wife is a 47 year-old USC. Born to a Swedish father and a German mother, I had visited 32 countries and lived in 8 by the time I briefly moved to my uncle in Florida, back in 1986. Between 1986 and 1994, I had traveled between Europe and the US more times than I can count. My passport was literally filled with stamps.

Had not left the US since January 1994 until recently, when the wife and I flew to the US Virgin Island to celebrate our 3rd. wedding anniversary.

Using a ferry from St. Thomas (USVI) over to Tortola (BVI), we were greeted by the British Immigration officer. She was very friendly, a couple of short questions about our visit, stamp in passports, and then "have a great day."

On the way back from British territory into US territory, we bumped into 2 lanes. One lane for USCs, the other one for non-USCs. Well, my wife is a USC, I'm not. Do we split, and if so, who of us gets the one and only customs form we got as a "family" traveling together? The wife wants to drag me to the USC lane, but I tell her that I'm not a USC, so the other lane it is.

Twenty-some minutes later, it's our turn. Wife is easily processed (about 10 seconds), then it's my while she's standing next to me. Passport inspected, page by page. GC inspected. Scanned. Computer confirmed. Questions asked and answered. Then it's fingerprinting time. Right thumb. Four fingers of right hand. Left thumb. Four fingers of left hand. Now a photo. A last check, and I'm released. My wife, who I usually keep out of this nerve-wrecking immigration stuff, is upset. "Why are they doing this to you? You are my husband! You are a permanent resident!"

A few days later, we fly back home. At check-in at Charlotte Amalie, the same thing happens again. I feel like a criminal, trying to sneak into a foreign county, not like a permanent resident. Changing planes in Puerto Rico, we again are questioned!

Finally, it's boarding time. We walk through this tunnel that is connected to the airplane, and while we go around a "turn" in the tunnel, a uniformed guy jumps up on me (I almost hit him accidentally) and asks me a question I didn't understand. I ask again and he repeats: "what's your country of citizenship." Citizenship . . . wait . . . Germany. "Move over there please. Again they check my papers, every single one from boarding pass to passport to GC, all the stuff I had stowed away in my carry-on luggage . . . my wife looking at me like she can't believe it . . . before they finally let us board.

Again I am confirmed that the US Border patrol nowadays consists primarily of brainless drones who are drilled like chimpanzees to assume everybody who's not a USC is out to harm the United States of America and should be met with utmost caution. It's sad, so sad, and unique on planet Earth.

In a bit, I'll post part 2 of my experiences here: "A sure way to get rid of tourism."

Wow so many "great" posts from so many of you.

(I put the word great in quotations because it is truly sad, and the stories are so big.)

Dear Just Bob (et al),

Thanks for posting.

When my sweetie and I were flying to Montreal and they have the same thing: two lines one for citizens Canada and one for non-citizens, the person directing the humans into the lines told us to go together to the "citizens line" because we were married.

Well that's Canada for you.

Mostly friendlier.

It amazes me to no end that although we have jumped through hoops – that broke my integrity – to become residents (police checks, medicals, vaccinations even!!! like I said in order to not lose it, "Well at least now if a USian bites me I'm safe.") including fingerprinting galore and digital photos for some data base (or something) , you'd think that when they scan that huge copper coloured metal thingie on the back of our "green" cards (aka permanent resident cards, with or without conditions, sigh) that everything anyone ever wanted to know about us is on there and it pops up on their screens, including our blood type!

That may have been the longest sentence I have ever written on here.

Oh, to rant or not to rant. That is the question.

And so, this is why i started this thread, to see how all of you are being treated and to see how you feel about it.

The time before this last entrance by car to the U.S. went really really well, and this last time was traumatic...as I said.

Bleh!

And so I cannot help but have so many emotions locked in whenever I think of border crossings.

I swear I have thought of giving it all up and just going back "home".

Home where I feel like I am welcomed and allowed to be there.

At my age AND political view points*, I just cannot stand this interrogation and suspicions.

The fact that you got accosted on your way to the airplane, again after having been through the unnecessary wringer, is just not cool. Did they apologize?

Bah! Coming back to the US Virgin Islands from the BVIs and being treated like that was equally unnecessary.

The muscle flexing has got to stop!

Arrrrrrrr!

Why oh why did we go through all the "processing" and the waiting!

For this future treatment?

If I had read all of this on VJ, if I had discovered VJ BEFORE saying yes to marry my USC sweetie and live in the US, I probably would have not done it.

Yup.

So there.

Like I said, visiting was so much much more fun at border crossings, almost enjoyable, before I got connected to a USC, and they thought/suspected I was coming in to be an "illegal immigrant". (Bob, I had not had a fixed address since the dawn of time and work freelance, hence....try proving to a US border guard that you actually live in and work in Canada in my situation. Ha!)

Sigh...

Earlier I said to rant or not to rant.

I also firm;y believe that our thoughts create our reality.

In other words, if we have "negative" thoughts, this adjusts our attitude, and hence how we perceive the world slants that way and our experience(s) are coloured negatively too.

With a happier, healthier attitude we can take on Goliath and have him purr like a kitten.

You know what i mean jelly bean(s)?

I hope you are all having a super Saturday.

*some of my zillions of view points, please read if interested and please comment too:

- creating anything that kills people should be illegal the world over

- borders are ridiculous; we are all Earthlings and should be able to roam freely

- if the U.S. did not have so much crime within its borders perhaps all of this would not bother me so much

[Krikit 1,165]

Don't bogart that joint, Spirit.