Detroit Immigration/Customs Times
 

We're going to Japan next week, and when we return to the states we'll be entering via Detroit (with a connecting flight to our home in Atlanta). Arriving in Detroit at 1:30pm. Scheduled to leave Detroit at 3:30pm. I'm a US citizen, my wife is a permanent resident, and we have a 6-month old baby who will be in a stroller. We will probably have 2 suitcases in addition to a couple of carry-ons. Reason to panic or will we hopefully survive? Both flights are Northwest. Thanks for any input!

2 hours is plenty of time for US citizens/PRs at any US airport coming back. Relax, you'll be totally fine. And NW/DL have later flights to ATL too, in case your flight is late leaving Japan.

In the last few years, immigration has started using a list, and if your name matches, or is similar, to one of the names on their list, you will be taken aside for special treatment. I know because someone with my name, or a similar name, has gotten on the list, so each time I reenter the country, I get special treatment, while my wife has to cool her heels out in the hall.

Sometimes the special treatment facility is fairly crowded, and while they have never taken long once they get to me, sometimes the wait can be long. The longest I have ever been held up here was about an hour, but I have never had so short a connection time that I had to worry about it. I think if I had a short connection time, I would explain it to the official who accompanies you to the facility, and ask if he could get me expedited.

The problem is, you won't know if you are on the list until you return, but even innocent people can now be caught up in this process. With a two-hour delay at a relatively efficient airport like Detroit, I wouldn't worry about it unless your first flight arrives very late.

We just came through there on Monday on a NWA flight from Paris. We all breezed through in just a few minutes.

By the way, my dentist also told me he was detained once and interviewed because of the same name mix-up. Customs had the connecting plane held for him.

Just to reply to myself, lest anyone in the future ever come upon this thread...

I've re-entered the US through 4 airports (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and now Detroit) and Detroit was by far the quickest and most painless of all. It may or may not have helped that we flew Northwest in and were flying Northwest out back to our home in Atlanta.

We had about an hour and 20 minutes when our plane landed & even with a babychanging break we made it through and were sitting at the gate with about 50 minutes to spare. Thanks to everyone who told us we didn't have much to worry about!

Hi fast, it is always so great when a poster posts a questions, gets answers and than take the time to post what their experience was. Thank you!!! I wish everyone would do that.