joxxxxx

Dear All,

Booked to travel to Boston in October this year from the UK but am becoming slightly concerned over the reception we are likely to receive on arrival in the USA. I have travelled to the USA many times before and my (aiport)experiences have ranged from the very good (Seattle post 911) to the awful (New York pre 911) to the routine. However the travel sections in what I would consider our more responsible broadsheet newspapers are increasingly full of stories of (law abiding with no criminal record) UK tourists being (at worst)detained and deported without explanation or apology by the US authorities or (at best)treated in a very hostile manner. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be fingerprinted and photographed (not overly happy with it but accept it). Given the Presidents apparant confusion between the meaning of 'tourist' and 'terrorist' in recent speeches I am asking myself is it worth the hassle? Any recent experiences from visitors from the UK to reassure or otherwise.
Many thanks.

Gretchen

We are all putting up with increased security issues and arriving foreign visitors are unfortunately being fingerprinted, etc. I would suggest being polite--which I know you already are--and cooperative and I suspect all will be handled expeditiously and politely. We have witnessed US citizens being obstreperous and loud--what on earth is the point. The TSA has its job to do and everyone will get through the line quicker if we just put our "stuff" on the belt and pass through the scanner.

RufusTFirefly

I'd say if you are concerned about it, don't come. Sounds as though if you do experience some hassle it could sour you for the entire trip. There are other places you can go that would probably have less chance of starting your vacation off on the wrong foot.

Queenie

Be aware that if you are coming after 26 October, you will need a machine readable passport.

If yours is not, you will need a visa. You must make an appointment with the US Embassy in London for an interview.

You may want to do a google search for specifics.

joxxxxx

I'm fully up to speed with all the specifics re passports and visas etc.

We are used to the queues, filling in the visa waiver forms and answering the normally only mildly offensive/stupid questions and the generally obnoxious/arrogant attitude of airport officals (with notable exceptions). We are always unfailingly polite and obey all instructions as cheerfully as possible after a transatlantic flight, always bearing in mind the treatment within the airport is not indicative of the people and attitudes of Americans in general (who we like - a lot!).

Just wondered if things had noticably deteriorated with regard to non-US citizens at points of entry.

bonniebroad

From the original post:

"However the travel sections in what I would consider our more responsible broadsheet newspapers are increasingly full of stories of (law abiding with no criminal record) UK tourists being (at worst)detained and deported without explanation or apology by the US authorities or (at best)treated in a very hostile manner."

Please give me more info/proof of UK tourists (with absolutely no criminal record) being detained and deported without explanation or apology by the US authorities......... If that is true, I would find it very disturbing, and, in fact, I can't imagine it. Could you give us links to stories about this kind of thing in your major newspapers? Thank you.........

dgruzew

I really don't think you have much to worry about, I just came back from mexico (into the us-chicago) and Non-US citizens have to go to another(longer) line, but if you are a UK citizen (with a UK passport) you should not have to get photographed or figerprinted the UK as well as all EU countries, Japan, austrailia, new zealand,Swiss, and some others do not require figerprinting. I really have no idea about the machine readable passport though?

songbird

I would definitely stay home if you are concerned a cool reception might ruin your trip. Who knows. Someone might want to check your bag at a museum and not present it back to you in a polite manner and then your dinner would also be ruined. In my opinion we should just let everyone in anytime, anyway and just hope that they are not terrorists. That will take care of any problem offending anyone. How silly of the United States to try to protect herself, even in imperfect ways, from threats from inside and abroad. It would be much easier if terrorists would just announce themselves as such upon entry. Would also like to see actual references to law abiding citizens of UK being deported.

TxTravelPro

We just had 9 brits, all traveling separately come to Dallas for business.
Not one had an issue with customs, we discussed over dinner the first night.
I recall the phrases "Uneventful" and "In and Out" specifically.
I, on the other hand, was held for 4 hours at Ottawa. I am a 40 year old female that fits no profiles whatsoever. I presented my passport and told them I was there to attend a travel agent event. They were unreasonable and, well, I must say... stupid with their interrogation. They wanted to see my company's contract to attend the event. Uh, hello? I am just someone going to a hoter to see suppliers that sell to travel agents in the US... BENEFITTING the CDN travel industry. Geez.
I think these experiences are possible anywhere in the world.

OliveOyl

If it's any consolation, we put up with the same hostility and absurdity that you do. It's just one big boat we're all in. Customs/Immigration are a breed unto themselves.

Coming through Miami on our return from Paris in December, we were astounded at the cold indifference and arrogance of customs...to one and all. Lines for Americans extended for 20-30 yds, but those for foreigners were much shorter. Non-Americans on our flight were in and out in no time, whereas the US citizens stood in line forever, customs agents snapping orders (the prime one being "turn off that cell phone", despite the person being so far from the head of the line that his battery would surely have been dead upon reaching it had he continued talking). One girl had plugged her phone into a wall outlet and the customs agent told her to "turn it off NOW and stop using MY electricity"! Finally after an hour or better in line, we started snapping back at them--at which point they seemed to sense that they'd crossed the line, our threshold for tolerance had been exceeded, and they were about to lose control of the entire crowd...and changed tunes, amazingly. It was a lovely time--lovely enough that we vowed then and there to avoid Miami airport at all costs when leaving or entering the country.

E

I'm with bonniebroad: who are these deported innocents? I'm not saying our system is perfect--far from it, and I, too, am tired of being pointlessly hassled. But don't assume that our nation has gone mad and anything can and will happen at the airport. We Americans aren't the galoots so many Europeans seem to think we are. Sound defensive? I sure am.

nytraveler

While it is certainly possible that immigration makes a mistake now and then - and may not alwasy be perfectly polite I too would like to see specifics on all the perfectly innocent British citizens detained and deported. Are these reports from newspaper of record (the Times or the Manchester Guardian) - or from the equivalent of the New York Post (Sample headline: headless body in topless bar)?

I had acquaintanaces visit from London recently and they reported no problems at all - but I would like to see evidence otherwise before believing I have all the facts.

Sarah_and_Tim

Links to articles in the Daily Telegraph re treatment of British tourists:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.../29/njfk29.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ma...requestid=5510

Extract from one is as follows:
"In one extreme example this week, David Pattison, an accountant from Beeston, Norfolk, claimed he was held for more than 24 hours in "leg chains" and denied food and water after flying into JFK airport in New York.

On production of his passport at immigration, Mr Pattison, 52, who was travelling with his wife, was told his name had been registered with Interpol in connection with alleged debts to the state of Qatar of up to £6,000 - a charge he strongly denied.

Mr Pattison claimed he was handcuffed, leg-cuffed and had a wooden brace placed across his chest. He was deported on Monday night, without having been allowed to enter the US."

Other than long waits, personally we have not had any problems on recent visits to the States. You just have to be patient...which is sometimes difficult after a long flight.

GoTravel

I have found that the attitude be more common with any government employee.

I mean really, who hasn't been treated like a criminal at the local DMV?

bonniebroad

Sounds to me as if there were legitimate reasons for this individual being looked at closely by the U.S. authorities, from looking at these articles. I would have to know much more about the situation before condeming our Customs officials......

Keith

joxxxxx, I hope that you have a good experience if you come to this country and fully understand your concern.

Please remember there is a big difference between our government and many of our citizens.

Keith

Judyrem

OliveOyl, I feel that way about Miami too! What is it with those people anyhow? I was used to Atlanta's relatively civil INS agents. What a disaster that Miami airport is IMO.

dgruzew

These horror stories are nothing new. You pretty much have no rights until you are admitted into the country( this goes for US citezens as well) For many years people have complained about humilitaing searches and being detained.Custom agents are probalbly more concerned with drug trafficing than they are terrorism. I have only been hasseled once in the US(my home) -coming back from jamica but I have been treted rudely and held up at airports in Rome,Amsterdam and Mexico. the stories in the telegraph are pretty desturbing, If I we british I would pretty ticked.

AAFrequentFlyer

As posted by Sarah_and_Tim

On production of his passport at immigration, Mr Pattison, 52, who was travelling with his wife, was told his name had been registered with Interpol in connection with alleged debts to the state of Qatar of up to £6,000 - a charge he strongly denied.

That sounds like a problem with Interpol, not US immigration. Interpol had a warrant to detain Mr.Pattison, and US immigration acted on it. Apparently they were not able to get a comlete clearing from Interpol, so they do what any police authority in the world would do, send him back to his country, where the local officials could sort the problem out.

In this case, it seems to me more like press sensationalizm than actual wrongdoing by the US immigration Servioe.

MikeT

And the Daily Telegraph is a fairly anti-American, anti-war newspaper, so it may not be the most objective source of what is really happening.

The reality is that we live in different times. The shoe-bomber was travelling on a UK passport and many of the alleged terrorists had traveled through the UK and Canada.