I’m a UK citizen that met someone from MN on a dating site. After months of webchat, I took the plunge and went over for a week, all was well. Second visit 90 days later was for 6 weeks and this time I took my youngest child who is only 5. After 17+ hours of travel, they detained us for 2 hours, rifled through all my luggage (without me being present) and questioned me. Fair enough, I get that they have to be vigilant, even if they lack common sense.

What I don’t get however, is the fact they flagged me and I’m now banned from the States until the K1 (fiancee visa) is granted. It seems ridiculous that I’ve been black marked this way, since Britain is no more politically/economically troubled than America and I’m not trying to pull a fast one to have a better life. Isn’t it crazy that I now have to make the decision whether to move there or not after only being allowed to spend a total of 7 weeks with the man I fell in love with?

The US embassy have been less than helpful, I’ve been told that really it’s just up to the immigration officials but there’s not a particular department which deals with individual cases. Official advice from the embassy: you’ll have to apply for a visa or use the VWP (already did, daftie!!) but they can still refuse entry, it’s really up to the officer. Well, that’s consistent! I’ll just spend £1000 and chance getting through for another visit then. Pfft.

For the ‘greatest nation in the world’, they’re really not leading the way on human rights or anti discriminatory pratcise (or even efficiency. 2 non english speaking travellers came and went before they decided to deal with me and my child). They do, however, take the medal for sheer arrogance. Why are these immigration officials not policed?

I’d love to know who it was who dealt with me, maybe Kachinsky on a good day? lol. A couple of the officers were actually reasonable though. Credit where credit’s due. But power hungry bullies should not be given positions of authority like this.

Like US Police, they are badly trained, paranoid and ego driven.

But, when they are working at the US citizens/ legal residents line, and when they are dealing with US citizens, they should show a bit of respect. I, nor any other US citizen, should ever be made to feel unwelcomed on their return home from abroad no matter how long they have been gone. It appers to me that the belief that is basic to the American justice system, “innocent until proven guilty” does not apply when one goes through passport control. I, too, fly through MSP, and I always feel upon my return from Europe that the agents assume I have done something wrong; that traveling abroad is in fact a crime. Not only do I find the questions insulting, but also hurtful. It feels as if I have been labled un-American because I travel outside of the US.

“But you could be a terrorist!” Or, “you could be smuggling in illegal substances!” To such statements I say, “then the US should deny citizens from traveling abroad if they do not believe that foreign airports are providing enough security.” I, and any other American citizen traveling through Europe, place out lives in the hands of European immigration officers and European security agents at the airports. We have to wait in line to go through security, sometimes with the high-tech full body scanners. Since 25 December 2009 we have our passports checked not once but twice before even arriving to the US: once when entering the foreign departures terminal, and once when boarding the plan. Occasionally, we have to have our carry-ons scanned again and/or randomly hand searched at the gate. At Amsterdam, I have seen everyone on the flight patted-down at the gate immediately before boarding.

I should say, that I have recieved similar–though far less rude–questions from immigration agents in Britain. But, because I am not a citizen I understand the need for more stringent questioning. At the end of the day, all I can say is that if this is the treatment citizens recieve upon re-entering the US, then I deeply apologise to my friends from abroad for the treatment they recieve when coming into the US. I understand why many Europeans I have met have told me they will never again travel to the US. And, I understand how the treatment of non-citizens at US borders could influence the IOC decision to not give Chicago that change to host the Olympics.

The treatment of US citizens is appauling and seems counter to the basic principles of law. The treatment of foreign visitors is unfortunate, for it just continues to harm the image of the US around the world. Its a shame we have let the “war on terror” take so much basic respect for humans away–the majority of whom are kind, decent people (this coming from a self-proclaimed misanthrope). Perhaps we all should write our congress people, or as alot of the posts here deal with MSP, the representatives of Minneapolis, St Paul, and Minnesota.

Over the last 23 years I have travelled to the US over 100 occasions. 2 of those were with Northwest through their ‘hub’, and on BOTH occasions I was pullled to one side and interegated about my respective trip. For those reasons alone I would rather pay more and avoid that damn airport.

I give you bad Karma everyday I wake up you F**K. I wish the absolute worse things on you and everything you love. It will catch up to you and you will have to pay it back.