And that attitude, more commonly associated with countries like China or Myanmar, is a good reason to give other destinations a second look.
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Entry to the US
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I mean it's not so easy to avoid as my son was moved out there 17 years ago at age 6. But as I said upthread I didn't have any problems and nor did anyone from my flight. As an aside it's getting cheaper so I'm loving it with better exchange rates etc. As to the gun thing , I saw probably my first ever one outside of law enforcement in Texas. My son lives near Seattle and I have never seen one carried there.
Well yes, if you're travelling to see friends or family then you don't have much choice. I'll be travelling there at the end of July to see my best friend of some 30 plus years, and his family.
And to be fair, the likelihood of experiencing any issues isn't that high. But it definitely is higher than it used to be, and the consequences are also greater. So if you're looking for somewhere to go on holiday some of the other 180+ countries in the world might be more attractive.
I suspect that in Washington its much more common to have rifles for hunting than handguns.
DelW
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I've visited the US seven times between 1986 and 2015, staying up to three weeks at a time, and always enjoyed my visits. I had varying experiences of immigration control, from outright hostile and suspicious in New York in early 2000s, to surprisingly friendly in Seattle in 2015.
But I wouldn't go now. I dislike and distrust the country's leadership which specialises in insulting, belittling, patronising and threatening the rest of the world, while giving an easy ride to warmongers like Putin and Netanyahu.
Those of us outside of the country can register our feelings in several ways, two of which are to not visit the place, and to not buy Tesla cars. I'm intending to avoid both in future, not that that involves much personal sacrifice!
But I wouldn't go now. I dislike and distrust the country's leadership which specialises in insulting, belittling, patronising and threatening the rest of the world, while giving an easy ride to warmongers like Putin and Netanyahu.
Those of us outside of the country can register our feelings in several ways, two of which are to not visit the place, and to not buy Tesla cars. I'm intending to avoid both in future, not that that involves much personal sacrifice!
nlogax
Established Member
Have not been minded to go down the burner phone route. That option carries its own risks and I'm fine just scrubbing a couple of choice Whatsapp conversations and maybe removing this forum from history + favourites on Chrome.
My overall approach is to just visit the US less. A shame as I've spent an awful lot of time there over the years, but hey, the world's a big place and there is so much of it still to see.
I wonder what a border guard would say if you said "First Amendment!" to them if they saw you'd previously slagged off Trump or Vance online and threatened you with deportation, detention, etc.
Doubly so given that the slagging off was done outside the US's borders, and therefore the so-called "crime" was outside their jurisdiction in any case.
Or does the First Amendment only apply to US citizens?
Doubly so given that the slagging off was done outside the US's borders, and therefore the so-called "crime" was outside their jurisdiction in any case.
Or does the First Amendment only apply to US citizens?
This is not strictly correct. The constitution applies to everyone within the border. But certain rights are only reserved for US citizens.
m0ffy
Member
And border zones (which are huge) also feature limitations on constitutional rights affecting both Americans and the rest of us.
Gloster
Veteran Member
Might I suggest that the majority of posters in this thread are probably white, Anglo-Saxon, English speakers with British passports who are less likely to be one of the groups that border control will concentrate on when they enter the country. Once the border control has beefed things up or if it just hasn‘t got so many people to handle one day, they might find that things aren’t so smooth.
TheTTTEGeek
Member
Just found out the mods split my post (whatever that means) as i was taking care of my 85 year old grandmother (father's side) after he bed frame broke with her in it so i just thought i'd let people know i'm backModerator note - split from:
The "And in other news..." thread
If you're anything like me you probably come across stories that you feel like sharing, but half-way through posting a new thread you think "Maybe it's not necessary to start a whole new thread about this I might be the only person who finds it interesting. OMG, if I post this they're going to...www.railforums.co.uk
This could be an example of the Streisand effect: the incident has now led to that meme going even more viral than it might otherwise have done had the refusal of entry never happened.
Hopefully she is okay? The thread split just means that they used your post in an existing thread as the start of a new thread, since the conversation that resulted from it, while interesting, was possibly off-topic for the original thread.
TheTTTEGeek
Member
Yeah she's OK now. Luckily a few weeks ago i saw some spare wooden planks in a skip & managed to fix the bed as the manufacturer used glued together wood chips to form a plank for the slats that hold the mattress. mind you she is only 69 (yes i am aware it funny number that means blowjob sex at least in my country) kilo despite the fact the bed frame being rated as safe enough for 100kg person & their mattress. I am thankful (to God) that she didn't break a bone which luckily the mattress caved in on her shielding her from any bone damage
Some of the advice in this thread seems really off. I have had my phone searched by customs in the US before (many many years ago). But contrary to the statements in this thread, they weren't fishing for a reason to deny me entry but rather seeking confirmation that I was genuine in order to admit me.
They could just as easily decide to deny you entry, and probably would if you're being uncooperative about showing your phone.
Also, nobody in this thread has acknowledged the critical point that CBP say drug use was the reason for the denial, not the meme - source:
If other people want to avoid the US, that's fine by me though... probably explains why I've been able to find such cheap flights
CBP do not have to agree to this, withdrawal is offered at CBP's discretion (usually for technical cases where they don't want to leave you with a re-entry ban, an example would be a passport lost en-route).
They could just as easily decide to deny you entry, and probably would if you're being uncooperative about showing your phone.
If your phone is getting searched, I guarantee your bags are getting searched as well. (Source: experience). And you'd better have a good explanation for why you have two phones and why the phone you presented doesn't "ring true" / look genuine. It's 2025, nobody is going to buy that you don't have any social media on your phone or a personal phone.
Also, nobody in this thread has acknowledged the critical point that CBP say drug use was the reason for the denial, not the meme - source:
Of course, the agent may have been less lenient on the drug use because they saw the meme and took a personal dislike to the passenger - but that applies both ways. The sensible advice is not to have divisive content on your phone when you may be relying on someone's discretion or arriving with a borderline case.
If other people want to avoid the US, that's fine by me though... probably explains why I've been able to find such cheap flights
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Even if not actually denied entry though, it's invasive having your phone searched at the border. It's a practice you may expect in autocratic countries, visiting which will involve accepting a range of limits on personal freedoms and privacy, not 'western democracies'.Some of the advice in this thread seems really off. I have had my phone searched by customs in the US before (many many years ago). But contrary to the statements in this thread, they weren't fishing for a reason to deny me entry but rather seeking confirmation that I was genuine in order to admit me.
Also, nobody in this thread has acknowledged the critical point that CBP say drug use was the reason for the denial, not the meme - source:
Of course, the agent may have been less lenient on the drug use because they saw the meme and took a personal dislike to the passenger - but that applies both ways. The sensible advice is not to have divisive content on your phone when you may be relying on someone's discretion or arriving with a borderline case.
If other people want to avoid the US, that's fine by me though... probably explains why I've been able to find such cheap flights
And yeah 99.9% of TSA and border officials may be fine, but it's clear the power goes to some of their heads.
Also while your phone may have been searched 'many many years ago', that doesn't mean the attitude of officials is the same as many many years ago. The Trump administration is marked by its insidiousness and it will filter down. When the President gives staff the green light to do something, they often do it.
I agree with you. But then you'll be in for a real shock when you compare the US to the UK!
In the US, they can seize your device, but they can't compel you to unlock it. The worst they can do is deny you entry (or if you're a US citizen, nothing much other than keep the device).
In the UK, they can compel you to unlock your device under the Terrorism Act if you present at a UK port of entry, with 3 months imprisonment as the penalty for noncompliance. And this applies to UK citizens too. Source:
Indeed, I don't agree with the UK's legislation in this regard either. Though anecdotally I do find our border staff far more reserved and rational, so I suspect our culture makes abuse far less common.
Well of course they wouldn't say it was the meme. And, in all likelihood, it wasn't *just* the meme, rather it gave someone more reason to look deeper. And, in any case, I don't see why drug use as opposed to possession would be grounds to deny entry.
Indeed. 'Many years ago' people being snatched off the streets by unidentified, masked agents and being held incommunicado for weeks wasn't a thing either.
I'm going to speculate that there are actually three reasons here:
Reason 1 (likely the actual reason) is that something about the traveller and their story (rightly or wrongly) didn't ring true to the officer (the suspicion was likely that he intended to work informally in the US).
Reason 2 is the drug use, which was found (and is commonly used) as a categorical reason to deny entry, because unlike other reasons it is an open-and-shut case.
Reason 3 was the passenger noting that the meme was seen, which the passenger clearly assumed to be the motivation.
They would only have seen the meme on the phone after having gone past Reason 1, so it clearly can't be the primary reason. The traveller's account fails to mention the drug use element (which is a statement of fact by CBP), and under US law CBP must tell the traveller why they are being refused (so they would definitely have known this was the reason). Given this omission, I would question the integrity and completeness of the other aspects of the traveller's account as well.
This is the problem, described by someone who's experienced it.
viewfromthewing.com
Total Power, Zero Consequence: Inside The Incentive Machine That Turns CBP Checkpoints Into Humiliation Lines - View from the Wing
Matthew Klint who writes ‘Live and Let’s Fly’ writes about feeling belittled by an immigration officer at LAX airport, returning from a trip to Germany. He was powerless, having to ‘take it’, mostly because his wife has a Green Card but is not a citizen, and because he thought he might have his...
viewfromthewing.com
Afternoon everyone, realise this is an old thread, but just wanted to add my perspective as someone who has returned from a week's long trip to New York City! 
Landing at JFK, the queue by the gate was rather slow moving, so maybe factor in an hour or two? But the entry itself was pretty smooth. We were asked our reasons for staying (tourism), where (hotel in Jersey City) and how long (a week). We got a photograph and fingerprints taken and our passports stamped, then we were off on our way. Admission itself took about two minutes per passenger.
For context, we are both Black Africans with British passports. My mother speaks with an 'accent'. The officer was a White American.
I'm not necessarily saying this will be the case for everyone, but it was all rather easy for us this time. Just as easy as when we travelled to Los Angeles in 2018 (the first Trump administration).
Landing at JFK, the queue by the gate was rather slow moving, so maybe factor in an hour or two? But the entry itself was pretty smooth. We were asked our reasons for staying (tourism), where (hotel in Jersey City) and how long (a week). We got a photograph and fingerprints taken and our passports stamped, then we were off on our way. Admission itself took about two minutes per passenger.
For context, we are both Black Africans with British passports. My mother speaks with an 'accent'. The officer was a White American.
I'm not necessarily saying this will be the case for everyone, but it was all rather easy for us this time. Just as easy as when we travelled to Los Angeles in 2018 (the first Trump administration).
Thanks for the update.Afternoon everyone, realise this is an old thread, but just wanted to add my perspective as someone who has returned from a week's long trip to New York City!
Landing at JFK, the queue by the gate was rather slow moving, so maybe factor in an hour or two? But the entry itself was pretty smooth. We were asked our reasons for staying (tourism), where (hotel in Jersey City) and how long (a week). We got a photograph and fingerprints taken and our passports stamped, then we were off on our way. Admission itself took about two minutes per passenger.
For context, we are both Black Africans with British passports. My mother speaks with an 'accent'. The officer was a White American.
I'm not necessarily saying this will be the case for everyone, but it was all rather easy for us this time. Just as easy as when we travelled to Los Angeles in 2018 (the first Trump administration).
I meant to update the thread with my experiences. In the end I flew to Canada and entered the US by land. The experience was as painless as yours, though at least one person on the coach was given some hassle by border control and it took a good twenty minutes before he was eventually admitted. Based on this experience I would do it this way again rather than flying directly, if it was an option.
Just to add my recent experiences as well -- I've been in and out of JFK airport three times in the past two months (terminal 4), and everything's pretty much as it always was. Couple of mins tops to get across the border, bearing in mind that if you're quick off the mark the queue can be as little as 10-15 mins, but if you end up behind another couple of flights / last off your own then it can quickly build up to a ~ 1 hour wait.
This tends to be reasonably accurate (this was a couple of weeks ago):
(Image shows the predicted waiting times to pass through immigration at JFK T4.)
This tends to be reasonably accurate (this was a couple of weeks ago):
(Image shows the predicted waiting times to pass through immigration at JFK T4.)
I wonder if the decline in Canadian visitors to the US this past year helps with this?
Should clarify that my experience was through terminal 7, and that experiences in other terminals may be better, as in your case. The predicted waiting time screens were not working in our case, so we had to stay patient.
Almost certainly. Admittedly it was late in the day, but there was no queue of vehicles and the officers looked quite bored.
Whenever I've gone through JFK, it's multiple hours. However at airports with Mobile Passport Control, it's nowhere near as bad. Even then, I'll usually ensure that I have a tight connection and skip the line.
Most Canadians flying from Canada land as domestic passengers and won't be in the passport lines. Most major Canadian airports have US preclearance.
While both of those things are true, they have little bearing on the land border crossings which is what I was talking about.
Ah my apologies. I'd got the posts crossed!
Should clarify that my experience was through terminal 7, and that experiences in other terminals may be better, as in your case. The predicted waiting time screens were not working in our case, so we had to stay patient.
All fair points. I can only speak for T4 as I always fly Virgin Atlantic LHR <> JFK (or if unlucky, a Delta codeshare flight).
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