Triple Citizen
Registered Users (C)
I am guessing they were interested in where all he went in Pakistan and what exactly he did there.
Do they stop asking stupid questions at POE(air, land)after you become a US citizen?
- Thread starter TwoScoops
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cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
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!
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!
Stoned!
cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
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.
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
Registered Users (C)
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.
cafeconleche
Registered Users (C)
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.
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
"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
Registered Users (C)
nickS652 said:
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.
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.nickS652 said:
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nelsona
Registered Users (C)
No, but they most certainly would not be superior.
They are 'servants' as in civil servants, as in Citizenship and Immigration Service, Internal Revenue Service, or as most police department mottos, "to serve and protect".
They will continue to ask stupid questions of course, however citizens have the right to slap them back down without recrimination .. and they avail themselves of that right quite regularly.
I totally agree with you on this. At the same time, I think we often idealize America as some form of Graceland and demand (at least in this forum) that things happen in sync with their book definitions. At the same time, while back in our "country of origin" many of us routinely tolerate completely different behavior of the establishment: police brutality, bureaucracy, awful civil services etc. Why such double standards? It’s not that different here from the "rest of the world".
In my town here there is a small police station. We all pay local taxes to support it. Then the guy stops me and yells at me. He is in charge of his civil service duty. Maybe I can try to "slap him back down without recrimination " but he is the one with the gun...
just a thought...