Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(air, land)after you become a US citizen?

[TwoScoops]

Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(by air or land)after you become a US citizen?

I've been a PR for about 4 years. During this time, I've often gone to Canada(by car) and Europe(by air) for vacations. When I re-enter the US, I get asked silly questions on at least half of those entries. It's worse at the land crossing from Canada back to the US. I'm frequently subjected to secondary inspection when I drive alone.(but alwasy waved through when my natural-born US citizen brothers and naturalized parents)

Thanks for any info!

[hipka]

No the questions will not stop.

[wik]

Originally Posted by TwoScoops

Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(by air or land)after you become a US citizen?

In my experience the questions really seem to depend on the officer. There is no pattern. Sometimes I return and get asked nothing; my passport and GC are simply swiped and the officer says 'welcome home'. Other times, the officer asks how long I was away, what do I do, etc. The questioning has never been 'intense' and never taken more than a minute. I have not been referred to secondary inspection once since obtaining my GC. Nor has my wife, even when she has traveled separately.

[bashar82]

My sister, an American by birth, has been sent to passport control twice in the past 4 years. It never happened before.

[GotPR?]

No idea what the point of this thread is. If they keep asking the same questions upon entry even after becoming citizen, will you not apply for USC ?

[pianoplayer]

Originally Posted by TwoScoops

Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(by air or land)after you become a US citizen?

I've been a PR for about 4 years. During this time, I've often gone to Canada(by car) and Europe(by air) for vacations. When I re-enter the US, I get asked silly questions on at least half of those entries. It's worse at the land crossing from Canada back to the US. I'm frequently subjected to secondary inspection when I drive alone.(but alwasy waved through when my natural-born US citizen brothers and naturalized parents)

Thanks for any info!

It doesn't necessarily stop. The important point though is that when you become a USC, you cannot ultimately be refused to enter the US. However, USC are routinely questioned, and sometimes referred to secondary inspection.

A friend of mine interned at an immigration firm and one of the clients had had a problem with entry while having pending permanent resident status( long story, boils down to that he had re-entry permit, CBP wrongly refused entry, was later corrected, but it appears as if his record was tainted). He subsequently received the GC, and later USC, but each time he enters the US(he travels often on business) he gets sent to secondary inspection.

Of course, since he is a USC, they always have to let him in ultimately.

[pplu]

My boss, a senior excutive, has been a USC for 12 years. This summer when he came back from a business trip, he was grilled for 2 hrs in the airport.

[pianoplayer]

Originally Posted by pplu

My boss, a senior excutive, has been a USC for 12 years. This summer when he came back from a business trip, he was grilled for 2 hrs in the airport.

These situations always interest me. Do you know why and what kinds of questions he was asked?

[pplu]

Why are you interested?

He was questioned why he traveled so many times to Asia (mostly India and China) in recent 2 yrs. He is not Indian nor Chinese. What the *&*%&%#!

They should question Ms Rice why she frequently visited Middel East

Originally Posted by pianoplayer

These situations always interest me. Do you know why and what kinds of questions he was asked?

[pianoplayer]

Originally Posted by pplu

Why are you interested?

He was questioned why he traveled so many times to Asia (mostly India and China) in recent 2 yrs. He is not Indian nor Chinese. What the *&*%&%#!

They should question Ms Rice why she frequently visited Middel East

Hi:

Merely curious. BTW, Ms Rice is a USC and is not in the same position as your boss.

[pplu]

hmm, I have said in my post that my boss *is* a USC ...

Originally Posted by pianoplayer

Hi:

Merely curious. BTW, Ms Rice is a USC and is not in the same position as your boss.

[pianoplayer]

Originally Posted by pplu

hmm, I have said in my post that my boss *is* a USC ...

Hi:

My apologies - I was in a hurry and left out "born." There should be no difference between a naturalized and natural-born USC, but CBP has been known to occasionally question USC with a birthplace outside of US, especially certain countries.

Also, there is that difference that she is the US Secretary of State. LOL

[Vyacheslav]

Originally Posted by hipka

No the questions will not stop.

as a new US citizen entering on new US passport, I can confirm the above statement...

[mdh3000]

A question and a comment:

Question: Can the immigration officer tell if you are a native-born USC or a naturalized one?

Comment: I've gotten more hassle from the Canadian immigration officers (as a native born Canadian) than I've ever gotten from a US immigration officer.

mdh

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by mdh3000

A question and a comment:

Question: Can the immigration officer tell if you are a native-born USC or a naturalized one?

They can tell with a very high probability, by looking at your country of birth.

[cafeconleche]

The questions at the POE never stop, unfortunately. Sometimes they really have issues with your travels, but even if they don't, they just ask you and make sure you're able to provide basic answers without causing a fuss. This is what I've been told by people who work in the field.

[Vyacheslav]

Originally Posted by mdh3000

Question: Can the immigration officer tell if you are a native-born USC or a naturalized one?

If you don't look caucasian or black, or perhaps speak English with a slight foreign accent, they probably start looking at your place of birth. But I think the CBP is supposed to be suspicious of EVERYONE trying to cross the border.

[armie]

Originally Posted by TwoScoops

Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(by air or land)after you become a US citizen?

A colleague of my friend who is US born of Pakistani parents returned from visit to Pakistan for the first time in his life. He was grilled for more than 2 hours, only when he threatened to sue them, did they let him go.

[StonedAnt]

Originally Posted by armie

A colleague of my friend who is US born of Pakistani parents returned from visit to Pakistan for the first time in his life. He was grilled for more than 2 hours, only when he threatened to sue them, did they let him go.

Would you know what they were grilling him about?


Thanks,

Stoned!

[nelsona]

CBP idiots don't change.

What does change is your ability to tear them a new one when the ask the inevitable stupid questions, since there is nothing they can do to you at that point.


I regale at the stories my naturalized co-workers tell me when they get questioned at the airport, and how they pretty much undress the officer and spank them for the whole queue to see.

Note that this is at the airport... I wouldn't wnat to do this at a back-road border crossing.

[Triple Citizen]

I am guessing they were interested in where all he went in Pakistan and what exactly he did there.

Originally Posted by StonedAnt

Would you know what they were grilling him about?

[cafeconleche]

Yeah, I'm sure Pakistan is on the hot-list. By the way, if you're very difficult at the airport (as a citizen, even), can they make notes on your file for future officers to see? Like the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is branded as DIFFICULT on her medical, file, haha. SO FUNNY!

[StonedAnt]

I was asking because I am planning a trip to the Pakiland myself soon, I received my GC recently. Just want to be mentally prepared on what could possibly be coming my way. From past experiences at the airport and during the special registration processes, I did notice that most officers have a better attitude if I am cooperative.


Stoned!

[cafeconleche]

You should always be civil and cooperative, and generally, calm. If you've done nothing wrong, you really shouldn't be afraid. Just bear with it. I do.

[xenogear]

I remember when i went to greece for summer vacation when i had a GC. When i came back, the officer was nice but asked a lot of questions. Why did you go to greece? are you a student?what school are you in right now? do you work? and i kid you not...he asked me how i could afford the euro trip

[Triple Citizen]

Although I never underwent Special Registration, I totally agree with you. Being cooperative is the key to dealing with any immigration/customs officer, regardless of which country they are representing.

Originally Posted by StonedAnt

From past experiences at the airport and during the special registration processes, I did notice that most officers have a better attitude if I am cooperative.

[cafeconleche]

Yup, IOs ask stupid questions sometimes, but they want to make sure that you're not above answering them. If you think you're way too good to be asked such questions, then you don't deserve to be allowed in (-to a foreign country). They do ask citizens similar, but not always the same, questions. Still, they want to make sure you're a stable and cooperative person.

[nelsona]

Stability and cooperation are not a requirement of citizenship -- especially here. They are the servants, remember.

They know this, and always back down from a citizen complaint.

[nickS652]

I didn't get it, you guys want them to stop asking any questions at the border just because you now have PR or USC no matter from where you are arriving? I thought the whole point of having the border was to protect you who live here legally from bad guys entering, including those pretending to be USC and PRs, NO?
"They are the servants " - OK, fine, does this make them somehow inferior to you ? They are the ones who took this job of having to sit in the booth all day and ask questions, not you. Your questions would really be good respectful and intelligent, no? Anyway, there's no point to this. They do ask crazy questions sometimes. I think it makes it more fun to travel to US, like a local custom. It was more fun when I had the H1. Nowdays is harder to hear something gross and biased. But when it happens I smile, grab my passport and feel at home...I guess I still look suspicious

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by nickS652

I didn't get it, you guys want them to stop asking any questions at the border just because you now have PR or USC no matter from where you are arriving?

There is a difference between asking questions to verify that you are a citizen, vs. asking questions that only hassle you and your private business without doing anything to reveal whether you are really a citizen or not. The latter are stupid questions that should not be asked.

If you present yourself as a citizen, the only questions they should ask are those that might reveal you to be a fake citizen, or questions that might reveal that you did something a US citizen isn't allowed to do (e.g. travel to Cuba). Anything other than it just unnecessary harassment.

Asking a citizen about a trip to Greece is nonsense. US citizens have every right to take a trip to Greece how often they want and for how long they want. But asking a naturalized citizen about how and when they got their green card might make sense, because if the answers are way off or they can't answer, that would indicate they are holding a fake passport or somebody else's passport.

Originally Posted by nickS652

"They are the servants " - OK, fine, does this make them somehow inferior to you ?

No, it just means their job is to serve the US citizen population by keeping out ineligible noncitizens... not to use their position of power to hassle the citizens.