interesting story at the border

[cesarestrella 0]

So I come back from Mexico this weekend... and to avoid the long two hour wait to cross in a car, I decide to cross by foot. As I approach the immigration officer so that he can slide my green card into his computer, i also give him my extension letter (i have not received my 10yr green card). He asks's "What's this?" (in spanish) So i tell him it's just a letter that extends my residence for a year... it allows me work and travel. He stares at it funny, SHRUGS, and he says go ahead.

:/

[reeses16 8]

Reminds me of a time I was inspected at the airport. My carry on bag when through the X-ray and it was flagged for hand inspection. They guy opened my bag, saw how tightly packed everything was and said he didn't have time to go through my bag. Really?!

[Immigrant2009 0]

IOs ( Immigration Officers) can be strange sometimes. USCIS should send an internal memo to all immigration and border control employees about the NOA, so that they stop harassing the LPRs returning to US with NOA.

[What Happened? 4]

The border is not as secure as people might think. Especially at that walkthrough area coming from Tijuana. At least they check ID now. About ten years ago all they used to do is ask you your nationality and if you said American, they'd waive you through. They didn't check ID at all, nor did they check your bags really. They'd just kind of glance in there and waive you through.

[Gussy 0]

Reminds me of a time I was inspected at the airport. My carry on bag when through the X-ray and it was flagged for hand inspection. They guy opened my bag, saw how tightly packed everything was and said he didn't have time to go through my bag. Really?!

I have a bag search story too. This one was probably my fault. At the airport in Montreal they have a US Customs division that pre clears you before coming into the US (its like a little US customers office inside of Canada). We were there in winter and he asked me if I had anything to declare and I said "Yeah, it's cold in Montreal." He didn't laugh and sent us to a little closed room for an extended search. The guy in the room was really friendly and asked us what we had done to get sent there ... "I declared it was cold in Montreal - but I think the jokes on you, the guy that sent us here doesn't have to search through dirty underwear." He smiled, handed me our stuff back and told us to have a good flight.

[estrella 14]

I crossed by car on December and then in January again with a tourist visa, and the first time the guy tried to give me a hard time, he made me get off the car and go to where the windows are and he asked me to see my purse cause I'm married with an american and we haven't fixed my paperwork We didn't know much about the process so I asked him and he told me "I don't know just go ahead but fix it" the second time in January the folks were awesome by then we knew about the process and we told them I was coming but we were gonna start the IR1/CR1 and it seemed like we were talking in Japanese or something because they didn't know what we were talking about they told me not to overstay my visa and sent us on our way.

I was confused by the fact they had no idea of the process I don't know I thought since they work in the border they would know about it.

[Killer_Clown_2009 0]

I crossed into the US at this little backwater type crossing on the Maine/Quebec border. They asked me several times if I intended to work in the US ( I was just entering for a 2 week vacation). I kept saying no I wasn't. I had to provide information about my employer in Canada. They, then decided to search my luggage (not the car though, which belonged to my then boyfriend, my now USC husband). They dumped all the contents of my luggage onto this wooden thing outside and rummaged through it all, even opening an unopened box of Tampax and pulling them out. Now that's just weird.

Edited June 4, 2009 by Killer_Clown_2009

[Cuchita 1]

Hmm something similar happened to my husband then fiance too, at the airport he opened his carry-on the inspector (woman) saw a heart shaped box and askes ohh that's cute what's in there?, he said a ring for my fincee, she said how adorable and didn't check anything and let him keep going into the plane.........#######! so that gives us an idea of how terrrists get in here!. NOT that my husband is one of course!.

[rclouse 0]

The border is not as secure as people might think. Especially at that walkthrough area coming from Tijuana. At least they check ID now. About ten years ago all they used to do is ask you your nationality and if you said American, they'd waive you through. They didn't check ID at all, nor did they check your bags really. They'd just kind of glance in there and waive you through.

Reminds me of this:

When I was in college a buddy of mine & I took a road trip to Ensenada. After two nights of "What Happens in Mexico..." we waited through the 2+ hour line at the border at San Ysidro, my buddy passed out. When we finally got to the officer, he asked me where we had gone and what nationality I was. After I replied, he asked "What about your friend?". I shook him, and he then started rummaging for ID. I said, "No dude, just tell him your nationality!". Bleary-eyed, he looked at the guy and said "I'M AN AMURRICAN!" End of interview, we drove on.

LOL