US Immigration

[partington1]

Every single time I arrive at SFO from LOS I am searched. This has happened the last four times. And yet I have in the same period arrived from, for example Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia and just been waved through. Argues against a flag list and more profiling ie single guy, Thailand, do a search. SFO is justifiably famous for this. I have stopped bringing a laptop or a camera just because of this-it takes so long for them to go through your flash card and after 20hrs+ on a plane it's excruciating. The last time the guy looked really disappointed: "why haven't you got a camera or a laptop?" I didn't give the reason-to limit the hassle you guys can give me- but I will next time.... Just make sure you're clean at SFO. It WILL happen!

[EyeMahk]

(partington1 @ Mar. 30 2008,01:52) Every single time I arrive at SFO from LOS I am searched.
....
Just make sure you're clean at SFO. It WILL happen!

I would say that there is a very good chance that there is a flag on YOUR record that comes up when your passport is scanned. 10 times for me through SFO, always coming from Thailand, never searched.

[BAM]

(post-op lover @ Mar. 29 2008,21:30) at the Los Angeles International Airport

The government seized the laptop. But when it tried to open the encrypted files again, it could not.

They'll force you to open encrypted files and containers. This happened to someone I know who runs a large internet business. He was returning from Thailand... they detained him and told him to open the encrypted files. When he refused they told him they have all the time in the world and he can stay as long as he likes... "You're not going anywhere until you give us the pass" they told him. After being detained at LAX for 3 hours he finally gave into them and opened up everything.... they then let him go but kept his computer which he got back 6 weeks later damaged.

He had information on all his customers in that computer and all the server FTP codes... they now have this info too.

[PigDogg]

I rarely get searched. I don't travel with a laptop or camera. Nothing to declare and nothing to hide.

When I landed once at EWR I asked a guy about the coffee I brought home from Bali before the search and he said something like "We know all about you".

[EyeMahk]

All this talk about files on computers makes you want to subscribe to XDrive (free 5GB offline storage). Just transfer your pics to your remote drive and delete the originals. Then when you are back, you can get them from your remote drive.

Link: http://www.xdrive.com/

By the way, it works great!

[Dieter]

I think Osma Bin Laden...never will have a problem at the US Imigration....
How many times fuck this guy the USA....???

Dieter

[partington1]

(EyeMahk @ Mar. 30 2008,05:32)

(partington1 @ Mar. 30 2008,01:52) Every single time I arrive at SFO from LOS I am searched.
....
Just make sure you're clean at SFO. It WILL happen!

I would say that there is a very good chance that there is a flag on YOUR record that comes up when your passport is scanned.  10 times for me through SFO, always coming from Thailand, never searched.

erm, but my point was it doesn't happen when I come in from any other Asian countries? plus the passport examining guy doesn't write anything on the customs form, or talk to anyone else as I go through. Unless he's f**king telepathic , it happens after you collect your baggage, as you go through the customs gate, and the customs guy looks at your customs form , sees Thailand and writes something on it. Then another guy saunters over and invites you to a separate search area. It's not passport related.....