Business Insider Australian woman who was detained and asked by a US border official if she had an abortion

[Scott]

Australian woman who was detained and asked by a US border official if she had an abortion says she's shocked by the response: 'a lot of people who've read this story are most horrified at that and I can see why'

 

After being detained and asked whether she had an abortion by a US border official, Madolline Gourley told Insider she's shocked by the response she's received to her story going viral.

The 32-year-old was traveling from Brisbane, Australia, to Canada where she planned to house- and cat-sit in exchange for accommodations. After landing in Los Angeles, Gourley was detained by American border officials who didn't believe her story and questioned her for three hours.

During that time, a US border officer asked her repeatedly whether she was pregnant, and if she recently had an abortion.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/australian-woman-detained-asked-us-065150112.html

 

[VocalNeal]

Normal US nonsense. Don't go there unless you absolutely have to. 

 

Edit: But she should have transited in Seattle where it is probably more normal?

Edited July 17, 2022 by VocalNeal

[baboon]

The story doesn't make sense. If she was in transit through the US to Canada as is implied, why would she be detained and deported from the US when she had no intention of entering?

[Jingthing]

19 minutes ago, baboon said:

The story doesn't make sense. If she was in transit through the US to Canada as is implied, why would she be detained and deported from the US when she had no intention of entering?

Yeah that's weird. 

I wonder if the question wasn't about abortion politics but perhaps about immigration law whereby having a child in the US makes it a citizen. 

[Jerno]

27 minutes ago, baboon said:

The story doesn't make sense. If she was in transit through the US to Canada as is implied, why would she be detained and deported from the US when she had no intention of entering?

You have to actually enter the US from abroad even if just transferring to another country.

[baboon]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah that's weird. 

I wonder if the question wasn't about abortion politics but perhaps about immigration law whereby having a child in the US makes it a citizen. 

But again: Why would the US be remotely interested in somebody with no intention to set foot on their soil (unless that person was bin Laden or some African dictator on the run)...?

[baboon]

3 minutes ago, Jerno said:

You have to actually enter the US from abroad even if just transferring to another country.

I remember transiting Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport en route to Bangkok. There was some kind of cursory 'immigration' check there too. However they weren't actually interested in you, just your passport and boarding card. 

[chickenslegs]

7 minutes ago, baboon said:

But again: Why would the US be remotely interested in somebody with no intention to set foot on their soil (unless that person was bin Laden or some African dictator on the run)...?

According to the linked article she entered the US under the Visa Waiver Programme. That would give her a 90 day stay in the US for tourism or business. So, she wasn't just transiting on her way to Canada.

[baboon]

2 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

According to the linked article she entered the US under the Visa Waiver Programme. That would give her a 90 day stay in the US for tourism or business. So, she wasn't just transiting on her way to Canada.

Ah. That would make sense.

However the story is worded to imply that a random Australian woman en route from Australia to Canada was pulled out of the queue by US border police, detained, interrogated then slung out on a whim. Clearly this was not the case. Then I wonder what other inaccuracies the article contains...

[Jingthing]

I don't think of Australians as abusers of US birth citizenship but I still think that issue may be an explanation of the reported line of questioning.

[baboon]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don't think of Australians as abusers of US birth citizenship but I still think that issue may be an explanation of the reported line of questioning.

Don't you think the whole story is looking more and more like a simple hatchet job on the United States because somebody didn't meet the entry criteria? 

[chickenslegs]

17 minutes ago, baboon said:

Ah. That would make sense.

However the story is worded to imply that a random Australian woman en route from Australia to Canada was pulled out of the queue by US border police, detained, interrogated then slung out on a whim. Clearly this was not the case. Then I wonder what other inaccuracies the article contains...

Apparently, she is something of a journalist, as well as a globe-trotting cat-sitter. 

 

I can't help but think there is some exaggeration in her side of the story, but I guess we will never hear the response from the US immigration.

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, baboon said:

Don't you think the whole story is looking more and more like a simple hatchet job on the United States because somebody didn't meet the entry criteria? 

I don’t know. But I do know those officers can be extremely rude including to US citizens.

[billd766]

Many years ago I had to fly from the UK to Mexico City via Dallas/Fort Worth. There wasn't any problem back then as I was in transit at the airport and not actually entering the USA. The same thing happened when I flew from PNG to Bangkok. I stopped at the Changi airport hotel inside the airport and never entered the country proper. Plus of course I wasn't obviously pregnant.

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, baboon said:

The story doesn't make sense. If she was in transit through the US to Canada as is implied, why would she be detained and deported from the US when she had no intention of entering?

You can't fly to the US without passing immigration even to change planes to fly to another country. There are no International transit terminals like rational countries. Transit without visa is not allowed (TWOV) anymore this goes back to 2001.

 

There is a bizarre visa exempt rule that you might have to show a return ticket from the US or a country that is not Mexico or Canada.  Of course they can say you have no funds, or question intentions and deport you. Females travelling alone are treated horribly heard many stories. Even my mother (natural born US citizen never had an arrest in her life) was once strip searched coming back from Brazil. They said she met the drug smuggler profile.

 

Recently another Australian backpacker ended up on the wrong end of ICE hospitality   and was jailed in some hellhole with criminals (probably only because no ICE overnight shift at airport immigration!!) and deported because he could not arrange a last minute ticket on his mobile.

 

A disgusting story if true as described 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/now/australian-traveller-strip-searched-held-171129535.html

[baboon]

11 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don’t know. But I do know those officers can be extremely rude including to US citizens.

When I enter the UK and get a rude immigration officer, their rudeness is met with rudeness. Don't you Americans do the same?

[Lemsta69]

59 minutes ago, baboon said:

But again: Why would the US be remotely interested in somebody with no intention to set foot on their soil (unless that person was bin Laden or some African dictator on the run)...?

because they are corrupt. they make Thailand look like amateurs in that department. and Australia is one of their most loyal allies. they couldn't wage all their illegal and immoral wars without Pine Gap and Nurrungar. 

[stevenl]

49 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

According to the linked article she entered the US under the Visa Waiver Programme. That would give her a 90 day stay in the US for tourism or business. So, she wasn't just transiting on her way to Canada.

Yes, she wanted to enter the US under the visa waiver program because she was transferring from one plane to the next. And was required to enter the US for that so had to meet visa requirements..

And that is the crux of the story.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, baboon said:

When I enter the UK and get a rude immigration officer, their rudeness is met with rudeness. Don't you Americans do the same?

No.

I'd rather not get sent to their "special" room.

One time this bozo was trying to analyze my reading material.

 

[Lemsta69]

2 minutes ago, baboon said:

When I enter the UK and get a rude immigration officer, their rudeness is met with rudeness. Don't you Americans do the same?

that'll get you a world of hurt. not worth the aggro.

[Captain Monday]

5 minutes ago, baboon said:

When I enter the UK and get a rude immigration officer, their rudeness is met with rudeness. Don't you Americans do the same?

Not when they can near ruin my life by voiding my Global Entry status for "attitude" or fine me $500 for not declaring a harmless chocolate bar.

 

Some are poorly educated idiots and goons but they get nothing from me but yes sir no sir. 

[baboon]

5 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

Not when they can near ruin my life by voiding my Global Entry status for "attitude" or fine me $500 for not declaring a harmless chocolate bar.

 

Some are poorly educated idiots and goons but they get nothing from me but yes sir no sir. 

So US Customs and Immigration are not seperate entities like the UK or Thailand? 

[Captain Monday]

10 minutes ago, baboon said:

So US Customs and Immigration are not seperate entities like the UK or Thailand? 

They are from the same agency US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or "ICE". I think one goal is to create an atmosphere  of hostility. Fully armed at the airport , often with tactical armor,  to check passports and search bags.

 

Well, I guess you never know when they have to step out for a dangerous stakeout. The stuff they uncover at the airport IS amazing though. Live birds up pantlegs, exotic bush-meat, cow dung. People with bellies full of drug bags

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-customs-cow-dung-india-b1846886.html

Edited July 17, 2022 by Captain Monday

[Scott]

For many years I worked for an international organization and did a lot of traveling through many countries.  By and large, immigration is less than a pleasant experience my worst experience was in Switzerland, followed only by a rather intrusive body search in HK.    

 

I am going to make a guess that the rather intrusive nature of their questions had to do with wondering if she was going to take part in any protests surrounding the recent court hearing. 

[bendejo]

A certain news personality in the US known for her progressive views says there are two questions that should never be asked:

- if someone says they just came back from a fishing trip, DO NOT ask them if they caught any fish;

- NEVER ask a woman if she's pregnant.

 

I don't understand this at all: why would they ask, and why would it matter.  Abortion is not illegal by Federal law (nor California state law).  Roe defined abortion as a right, and that right is gone.  But do they ask this of all females entering the country?

 

10 hours ago, baboon said:

When I enter the UK and get a rude immigration officer, their rudeness is met with rudeness. Don't you Americans do the same?

One of the things they do is try to get you to talk (and not just the US): trying to detect foreign accents, and trying to see if you're nervous about something.  If we're too nice or too chatty it'll trigger suspicion.  Myself, I amp up the NYC accent.  Rude and confrontational will make for a memorable experience.

While it never happened to me, there have been lots of word-of-mouth stories of guys returning from LOS having their digital cameras, phones, computers, USB drives etc. examined, over the past 20 years or so, agents looking through their photos.  Looking for evidence of naughty encounters.  Be careful of the  female customs agents.  Even if you have nothing to hide it's the time and annoyance. 

 

 

[Scott]

Inflammatory post with aberrant spelling of a name has been removed. 

 

[Captain Monday]

On 7/17/2022 at 10:33 AM, bendejo said:

A certain news personality in the US known for her progressive views says there are two questions that should never be asked:

- if someone says they just came back from a fishing trip, DO NOT ask them if they caught any fish;

- NEVER ask a woman if she's pregnant.

 

I don't understand this at all: why would they ask, and why would it matter.  Abortion is not illegal by Federal law (nor California state law).  Roe defined abortion as a right, and that right is gone.  But do they ask this of all females entering the country?

 

One of the things they do is try to get you to talk (and not just the US): trying to detect foreign accents, and trying to see if you're nervous about something.  If we're too nice or too chatty it'll trigger suspicion.  Myself, I amp up the NYC accent.  Rude and confrontational will make for a memorable experience.

While it never happened to me, there have been lots of word-of-mouth stories of guys returning from LOS having their digital cameras, phones, computers, USB drives etc. examined, over the past 20 years or so, agents looking through their photos.  Looking for evidence of naughty encounters.  Be careful of the  female customs agents.  Even if you have nothing to hide it's the time and annoyance. 

 

 

Back in my commuter airline days flying turboprops maybe 25 years back heard this dufus captain ask the closeout gate agent   with completely straight face "So when is the baby due"? 

 

A real pendejo, just had to face-palm it.

 

Never never comment on the physical appearance of coworkers. Some women are just fat.