Searched By US Customs, Including Laptop & Camera

[anon11]

Ummmm

Well I am happy to be searched by customs anytime they feel the need to do so the old saying : if you have do nothing wrong then you have nothing to fear :

As for our RIGHTS well that went out the window years ago... RIGHTS what does that mean in an counrty I will not name THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS ( guns ladies and gentleman ) look at the mess that place is in .....if that is rights the heaven help us all.

[inzman]

Well, I am NOT happy to be searched by customs, as I believe I have not done anything illegal and I still should be protected by the constitution. But then again I am being old fashion and I keep forgetting that the terrorists have won the war.

[Scarpolo]

Well, I am NOT happy to be searched by customs, as I believe I have not done anything illegal and I still should be protected by the constitution. But then again I am being old fashion and I keep forgetting that the terrorists have won the war.

Al Queda is a name given to the Muslim Brotherhood, so they can continue their quest for world domination, without unecessarily being tied to the US CIA, who created the Afghan branch to fight the Soviets.

A little history is required before the word "terrorist" is flung about

It's "whose" terrorist

[stevenl]

Well, I am NOT happy to be searched by customs, as I believe I have not done anything illegal and I still should be protected by the constitution. But then again I am being old fashion and I keep forgetting that the terrorists have won the war.

Al Queda is a name given to the Muslim Brotherhood, so they can continue their quest for world domination, without unecessarily being tied to the US CIA, who created the Afghan branch to fight the Soviets.

A little history is required before the word "terrorist" is flung about

It's "whose" terrorist

The latter is very much true IMO.

To me, if you want to be seen as credible on the forum, you'd better use another source than redflagnews.

[danmarnj]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

[jayceenik]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

I think this Global Entry E-prescreening is indeed a very good idea to lighten the long Customs lines on arrival.

But only if it was free or near-free.

Having to pay the not-unsubstantial $100 makes cynical me sees that as an extortion scam : You pay us or we'll harass you and even confiscate your laptop and camera on arrival to our Land of the Free ...

But, then, maybe I've read too many stories about the Sicilian Mafia and their protection rackets

http://globalentry.gov/about.html

[Rimmer]

Off topic post and a reply removed, if you wish to discuss flight MH370 please do so HERE do not hijack this topic, thank you

[sabaidimai]

Thanks! Posted in wrong category apparently and learning as newbie on thai visa forum...

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[danmarnj]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

I think this Global Entry E-prescreening is indeed a very good idea to lighten the long Customs lines on arrival.

But only if it was free or near-free.

Having to pay the not-unsubstantial $100 makes cynical me sees that as an extortion scam : You pay us or we'll harass you and even confiscate your laptop and camera on arrival to our Land of the Free ...

But, then, maybe I've read too many stories about the Sicilian Mafia and their protection rackets

http://globalentry.gov/about.html

There is a cost to perform background checks and the interview process and to adjust the passport for the kiosk to accept it. After all, we do also pay to apply for a passport as well as renew it. At least we can see a benefit to this tax.

[Scarpolo]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

I think this Global Entry E-prescreening is indeed a very good idea to lighten the long Customs lines on arrival.

But only if it was free or near-free.

Having to pay the not-unsubstantial $100 makes cynical me sees that as an extortion scam : You pay us or we'll harass you and even confiscate your laptop and camera on arrival to our Land of the Free ...

But, then, maybe I've read too many stories about the Sicilian Mafia and their protection rackets

http://globalentry.gov/about.html

Does this not also require a Retina scan and fingerprinting? Soon, a swab of your DNA?

[danmarnj]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

I think this Global Entry E-prescreening is indeed a very good idea to lighten the long Customs lines on arrival.

But only if it was free or near-free.

Having to pay the not-unsubstantial $100 makes cynical me sees that as an extortion scam : You pay us or we'll harass you and even confiscate your laptop and camera on arrival to our Land of the Free ...

But, then, maybe I've read too many stories about the Sicilian Mafia and their protection rackets

http://globalentry.gov/about.html

Does this not also require a Retina scan and fingerprinting? Soon, a swab of your DNA?

Im sure the Government already has your fingerprints on file somewhere. At the immigration kiosk , you do need to scan your fingerprints.

All Im saying is that once you go through the trouble the OP went through upon his arrival back in the states, its much easier and gives more peace of mind to have the Global Entry scan on your passport

[kimbathewhitelion]

"So single men entering to the US should be aware that they can be 'profiled'..." No where did you mention that customs selected you because you were single. In fact you don't even mention that you are single. If you were profiled it was likely because of the countries you visited that have pedophile and illegal drugs noteriety; that is a legitimate profile. US Customs is just doing their job and it's one of the few US government agencies that is highly praised by the US Congress.

What a high praise. Ever watch Congress in session on CSPAN, they're nothing but a bunch of dimwit special interest, spoiled children. Can even picture a few of them on the floor repeatedly trying to shove a round peg into a square hole. Also, yes the US Customs is doing their job, though in a leash since there're many people that can't be profiled via ACLU restrictions. Thus they go after the whites & the Asians.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Scarpolo]

The best $100 I spent was to get Global Entry. I filled out a questionnaire on the US customs website, scheduled an interview near the Atlanta airport. Now I just go to a kiosk in US (valid also if traveling to Australia) get a ticket from the ATM-like machine, wave it a the customs officer and I'm on my way. As I am pre-screened and background-checked, I have never been hassled..

I think this Global Entry E-prescreening is indeed a very good idea to lighten the long Customs lines on arrival.

But only if it was free or near-free.

Having to pay the not-unsubstantial $100 makes cynical me sees that as an extortion scam : You pay us or we'll harass you and even confiscate your laptop and camera on arrival to our Land of the Free ...

But, then, maybe I've read too many stories about the Sicilian Mafia and their protection rackets

http://globalentry.gov/about.html

Does this not also require a Retina scan and fingerprinting? Soon, a swab of your DNA?

Im sure the Government already has your fingerprints on file somewhere. At the immigration kiosk , you do need to scan your fingerprints.

All Im saying is that once you go through the trouble the OP went through upon his arrival back in the states, its much easier and gives more peace of mind to have the Global Entry scan on your passport

Anyone who has held any form of license requiring prints, has them digitized for sure,

I am not concerned about my prints,

it is all this retina scan activity and swabbing of DNA that has me testy,

even Tesco Lotus is using retina scanning in their parking lots so as you pump gas and enter their store, they store you

[danmarnj]

How do you suggest they catch pedophiles without invading innocent peoples' privacy? I had my laptop searched 2 years back and there were a lot of questions asked about my arm around 2 5 year old hill tribe girls. I answered truthfully and never felt my privacy was violated as I had nothing to hide. It always seems to be guilty people that are first to question the legalities over wiretaps, searches and so on.

People such as your self are ready to give up their freedom for a so called crack down on criminals. How many innocent people do they search for 1 guilty person it is one too many. I am not guilty of any thing and resent being searched to catch a hundred guilty people. You give up your freedom to easy.

In case you didn't realize it, you give up your freedom every time you go through customs

[wolf5370]

In truth I wonder how many people would actually be caught this way - pedos I mean.

It is not exactly hard to create a hidden partition - or use something like portable TrueCrypt - place TrueCrypt portable in the cloud somewhere - use an online photo as key - treble encrypt the file (which it does out of the box - 3 different algorithms), place it in the Windows (or whatever) directory with a DLL suffix (it is just a file as far as the OS is concerned) and the NSA computers would take decades to crack it, let alone some guy at immigration - and that's if they even find the file- with TrueCrypt portable, there is not even reason to suspect its there. All this is free and very easy to do - no need for advanced IT skills, half a dozen clicks from download to done!

Any one with real savy would use TOR and the Deep Net and go Hard Candy without need for anything on the machine at all (Tor does not cache and disables JScript - onion sights are still untraceable - the Bit Coin sites and drug sale sites were taken down when the servers were tracked (the actual boxes were nabbed) because they were coming out of deep net into the indexed world and it was that point of exit that was followed - one layer in, the white hats guys still have not made a dent, even though it is sh!t easy to find the sites down there with just a little bit of know how (not to mention mercs and assassins for hire/drugs to order/stolen passports/fake ids/terrorist how to do books/crack and hack sites and libraries/paramilitary and hate groups/etc. If they could stop it and track it they would only mistakes made by the server admins caused impact (and the lesson has been learned - download Tor and there on the start page of Tor Wiki it states just that - stay deep of you may expose exit gateways. Btw its not only fire and brimstone down there, there are legitimate sites too (like wiki leaks docs that have not been blocked and other boring run of the mill stuff as in the indexed net) - and slightly dodgy, but less unsavoury stuff (like dark mirror of Piratebay that can't be closed down by the FBI). I'm not trying to give those sickos hints, but like most underground things, the more serious the bad guy, the more underground he is going to be - and searching a laptop HDD is going to return nada!

Having said that, I am all for random searches for drugs, weapons and other things (explosives/biological/chemical/etc). I was stopped last year at Heathrow in London - same as the OP, came through on my own. I stopped off in baggage reclaim to use the loo and was the last person wandering through the green channel. Guy pops out of a side door and waves me in. Asks me for my passport and asks where I am coming from. I answered, "Thailand - Chiang Mai - via Bangkok, via Delhi" (first and last time I do that too!). He asked if I lived there. To which I said ye. He was staring at about six back to back marriage visas since the passport was renewed, so pretty obvious, not that I said that, just answered the direct question, nothing more. Learned early on when speaking to people with an obvious and professional intent to dig, never proffer anything not asked for, it makes them suspicious. Next question was, "What do you do there? Do you work?". "No", I replied - and then felt that I needed to break the rule just stated given the incredulous look on his face, "I home school my kids". More to it than that, but I think that was off-the-wall enough, and fell back to rules. Then the usual, "Do you know the tobacco and alcohol allowances?". Talk about a leading question, so answered (without answering), "I read them on the plane in the airline magazine". "Do you have any tobacco or alcohol products." "No cigarettes - don't smoke or know anyone that does in the UK - and in there [point to suitcase number 1] is a 75cl bottle of special reserve Burmese whisky in a presentation box for my dad. Want me to open it?". to which he shook his head, apologised for keeping me and indicated the door (further down the room from the door I entered through) to leave by. I simply said, "No problem - its your job and its an important one". Never checked anything physically, I was polite, smiled and confused enough (having spent 40 hours travelling all told). He completely ignored both my camera case and with laptop case by the way.

Single people returning from Asia are always going to be targets for drug mule checks - of course that just makes the bad guys turn to kids and families instead! Pedos should be caught by the local police and then - and if they have already left (say photo evidence - online video evidence etc) then passed to authorities - its not something that stop checks is likely to be very effective in.

[nzvic]

A Nordic blonde tourist told me NZ customs went through her pc for several hours. She had the feeling that it was just guys hoping to find something titillating (but didn't) but she might've been wrong and it was customs doing their job

.

[Scarpolo]

A Nordic blonde tourist told me NZ customs went through her pc for several hours. She had the feeling that it was just guys hoping to find something titillating (but didn't) but she might've been wrong and it was customs doing their job

.

I will be using the SF airport to enter next week,

will report back the process.

both laptops will be packed in stowed luggage,

the only think I will be carrying are clothes and toiletries and a guitar

[Scarpolo]

A Nordic blonde tourist told me NZ customs went through her pc for several hours. She had the feeling that it was just guys hoping to find something titillating (but didn't) but she might've been wrong and it was customs doing their job

.

Going thru one girls laptop for several hours,

is abuse

[jayceenik]

Seattle (SEA) a few years back.

Profiled as usual for bag check by Customs (single guy coming on EVA flight from BKK-TPE with only cabin bag).

Inspecting Customs female officer asked purpose of visit.

Just vacation, camping and hiking in the Cascades.

Wow ! that's nice ! I love to do that myself.

Took opportunity of this friendly contact to ask her what was so wrong with me that I was always selected for bag check at PDX and SEA.

That's really bad, Sorry, Just open your bag and I'll make like I'm checking it because 'they' are observing us from the mezzanine...

But then there were all the 'other' unpleasant times like, after bag check, I was taken to a small stuffy room where two guys who had appeared from nowhere during bag check frisked me (missed my zipper pouch belt LOL) and had me lean over while watching my behind to see if any suppository drug capsule would pop out.

Almost missed my connecting flight that time. Ba****ds !

[sgtsabai]

Here is an interesting short article about the TSA gestapo's wish to spy on innocent citizens: http://blogs.csoonline.com/data-privacy/3053/tsa-shelves-plans-monitor-you-onlinefor-now?source=CSONLE_nlt_salted_hash_2014-03-11 . Just another reason I would never apply for one of the 'no hassle' entry programs. These kabuki theater goons and their other 'initial' counterparts need to be shut down.

[Scarpolo]

Seattle (SEA) a few years back.

Profiled as usual for bag check by Customs (single guy coming on EVA flight from BKK-TPE with only cabin bag).

Inspecting Customs female officer asked purpose of visit.

Just vacation, camping and hiking in the Cascades.

Wow ! that's nice ! I love to do that myself.

Took opportunity of this friendly contact to ask her what was so wrong with me that I was always selected for bag check at PDX and SEA.

That's really bad, Sorry, Just open your bag and I'll make like I'm checking it because 'they' are observing us from the mezzanine...

But then there were all the 'other' unpleasant times like, after bag check, I was taken to a small stuffy room where two guys who had appeared from nowhere during bag check frisked me (missed my zipper pouch belt LOL) and had me lean over while watching my behind to see if any suppository drug capsule would pop out.

Almost missed my connecting flight that time. Ba****ds !

I guess I will have to experience all this to believe it, but I have never been hassled upon returning to the US

I will report my experience next week thru SFO, from BKK via Hong Kong

At 54, I expect zero trouble,but wil report it either way it goes

[Scarpolo]

As expected.

SFO was a breeze,

Officer friendly. A young kid about 30,

Had 3 entries to Thailand, 3 to Laos, and 1 to Bali, so when he asked me if I was only in Thailand, I said yes, only Thailand, but as he was stamping me in, I changed my story, and told him yes, I also went to Lao for Visa's a few times,

He asked me if it was easy to get the Visa's and I said yes, and that was that

[danmarnj]

Seattle (SEA) a few years back.

Profiled as usual for bag check by Customs (single guy coming on EVA flight from BKK-TPE with only cabin bag).

Inspecting Customs female officer asked purpose of visit.

Just vacation, camping and hiking in the Cascades.

Wow ! that's nice ! I love to do that myself.

Took opportunity of this friendly contact to ask her what was so wrong with me that I was always selected for bag check at PDX and SEA.

That's really bad, Sorry, Just open your bag and I'll make like I'm checking it because 'they' are observing us from the mezzanine...

But then there were all the 'other' unpleasant times like, after bag check, I was taken to a small stuffy room where two guys who had appeared from nowhere during bag check frisked me (missed my zipper pouch belt LOL) and had me lean over while watching my behind to see if any suppository drug capsule would pop out.

Almost missed my connecting flight that time. Ba****ds !

I guess I will have to experience all this to believe it, but I have never been hassled upon returning to the US

I will report my experience next week thru SFO, from BKK via Hong Kong

At 54, I expect zero trouble,but wil report it either way it goes

Seattle has always been among the worse for hassling travelers, with Minneapolis a close second IMO. This is one of the reasons I signed up for Global Entry to avoid all this. Another plus of. Global Entry, you are directed to the line where you don't have to take off your shoes or take your laptop out of your carryon

[Scarpolo]

Seattle (SEA) a few years back.

Profiled as usual for bag check by Customs (single guy coming on EVA flight from BKK-TPE with only cabin bag).

Inspecting Customs female officer asked purpose of visit.

Just vacation, camping and hiking in the Cascades.

Wow ! that's nice ! I love to do that myself.

Took opportunity of this friendly contact to ask her what was so wrong with me that I was always selected for bag check at PDX and SEA.

That's really bad, Sorry, Just open your bag and I'll make like I'm checking it because 'they' are observing us from the mezzanine...

But then there were all the 'other' unpleasant times like, after bag check, I was taken to a small stuffy room where two guys who had appeared from nowhere during bag check frisked me (missed my zipper pouch belt LOL) and had me lean over while watching my behind to see if any suppository drug capsule would pop out.

Almost missed my connecting flight that time. Ba****ds !

I guess I will have to experience all this to believe it, but I have never been hassled upon returning to the US

I will report my experience next week thru SFO, from BKK via Hong Kong

At 54, I expect zero trouble,but wil report it either way it goes

Seattle has always been among the worse for hassling travelers, with Minneapolis a close second IMO. This is one of the reasons I signed up for Global Entry to avoid all this. Another plus of. Global Entry, you are directed to the line where you don't have to take off your shoes or take your laptop out of your carryon

Others have posted that Global Entry provided them no extra courtesy.

Considering, I was a white male in his 50's traveling alone, from Thailand, with my camera in my shoulder bag and my laptop in my carry on,

and with stamps from Laos and Indonesia that I didnt put on my entry form,

and with all the posts about being singled out,

none of that happened to me,

I was wearing a black motorcycle jacket and had a guitar strapped to my back also

[kimbathewhitelion]

Christ & I thought LAX was bad. I was planning to move to Seattle. Thx

Sent from my LG-D802 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Scarpolo]

Just had a new experience at SFO,

allowed to keep shoes on,

didnt have to take laptop out of bag,

Virgin America

first time in years it was a breeze

[thailandbeachisland]

How can they treat their own citizens like monkeys is amazing. Wish them the worst disaster.

[Scarpolo]

How can they treat their own citizens like monkeys is amazing. Wish them the worst disaster.

Just sailed thru the opt out at SFO,

friendly HSA and didnt mind the pat down, rather than the radiation device

All the animosity towards border agents and TSA, is nonsense so far.

I am not encountering anything unusual, or necessarily offensive

[lopburi3]

Easy. If you do not want some federal employee rummaging through every photo your took on your Asian trip, just use the program TrueCrypt....It has two password

levels, and is in essence uncrackable....

http://www.truecrypt.org/downloads

That is exactly when computer would be confiscated for further exam if you did not open such encryption on demand.

[sgtsabai]

I mind the pat down, I mind the radiation and what is in my computer is none of their business. Nothing but modern day gestapo and Kabuki theater of fear,intimidation and subservience. Amerika is a nation of sheeple run for and by the plutocrats. I don't go back. It isn't the country I thought I grew up in and that country would never allow what is happening today.