Experience at JFK

[Noman74]

Hello Friends,

Last month, coming back from Dubai, my POE was JFK. Presented my NP+GC to the officer, he slid my GC, put my GC+NP+customs form in a green plastic bag and told me to go to the secondary. Let me tell you something friends, Secondary at JFK is the worst ever. It was filled with people (among those people were U.S Citizens, GC holders, British passport, visitors etc from different third world countries). Officers were rude and using foul language. I was asked to leave my hand luggage outside the room. I sat in there for almost 3 hours and waited for my turn. Since I was sitting in the front row, I could hear most of the conversations between officers and people. JFK secondary has the most rudest and ruthless officers ever. I heard the F word so many times I couldn’t believe I am at a Fed Govt facility dealing with these officers.

This facility is an old medium size room to the left. Horrible conditions, smells like shit, and full of rude officers. Some people were throwing up on the floor because of the long flights and the other shit they have to deal with at the secondary. Some people were kept there over night but they were not allowed to sleep on their seats or eat. Families, women with kids, older folks, everyone was there. NO cell phones allowed, no laptops, no talking to each other, no changing seats, no bathroom facility.

When it was my turn, officer asked me the norms:

1. Present address
2. how long I was out
3. purpose
4. occupation.

Even after getting the clearance from the officer, there was another officer between secondary and luggage area. He didn’t believe I was done so he decided to bring me back to the secondary and asked the officer who cleared me if everything is ok.

Because of this whole drama, I missed my connecting flight. Since my luggage was on the belt for 3 hours, customs decided to throw it on the floor without any supervision. This is the first and the last time I have used JFK as POE.

Over all grade: F

 

[tulumba]

I hear your words....

Oh, man, I know what you talking about. Now imagine me with 3 years old and 6 month -old, spending two hours inside that room. I had to breastfeed baby and I couldn't, because there was no seat for me. My kids were crying , we spent 8, 5 hourse in the air. I am sea sick, and after landing my first thing is to (pardon ) throw up in the restroom. I couldn't do that. I felt terrible, terrible, terrible. I love to travel, but the only idea of being taken to THAT room makes me sick. I cannot waite to get my citizenship, but I am not even PR yet.

 

[wantmygcnow]

So i guess even having a NP makes ex-asylees go to the secondary room?

 

[Punjabi_Munda]

Tulumba

tulumba, now you know why I advised against JFK and Dulles airport for your husband in my other post. They are worse. Chicago O'hare and LAX seems to be pretty good.

 

[wantmygcnow]

tulumba, now you know why I advised against JFK and Dulles airport for your husband in my other post. They are worse. Chicago O'hare and LAX seems to be pretty good.

I think dulless is better now. What they do now is that if you have to go to secondary, they yellow mark your customs form and let you walk out...You go and get your bags and as you are about to exit, they ask you to turn right and go to that room for secondary....Its not really a room, more like a big hall with Secondary A, B, C. A is for people with luggage to be checekd, B is for papers to be checked and I don't know what C is...

So dulless is better now

 

[dbins01]

sorry to hear the exp..but what is secondary, were you guys travelling on parole?

 

[Punjabi_Munda]

Sometimes

So i guess even having a NP makes ex-asylees go to the secondary room?

this is purely luck and depends on the I/O or airport. I have travelled twice back to COP with my GC + NP. Both times I went from Chicago and had a transit at London Heathrow both ways. Never had a problem. Came back the same ruote. I stood in US citizen and LPR line. Officer both times just asked the routine questions, nothing special, no secondary inspection. I have heard similar experience (very nice) at LAX. Having RTD or REP just gives them a indication that you were asylee/refugee (if you show them RTD) and if you show REP they automatically think that you might have gone for a longer period which invokes extra questioning in my opinion.
The other bad thing about the secondary room is that "what happens in vegas doesn't stay in vegas" in this case , meaning whatever happens in secondary room usually becomes part of your history and I/O would have access to all those notes at the time of your N-400 application which could mean a little extra processing time and questioning. While the trips with NP + GC, normally they would just verify the dates. This is just my personal opinion based on the observations and reading others posts.
I think its much better to use GC + NP and i have always believed in that as long as you can get NP.

 

[Lazerthegreat]

Hello Friends,

Last month, coming back from Dubai, my POE was JFK. Presented my NP+GC to the officer, he swapped my GC, put my GC+NP+customs form in a green plastic bag and told me to go to the secondary. Let me tell you something friends, Secondary at JFK is the worst ever. It was filled with people (among those people were U.S Citizens, GC holders, British passport, visitors etc from different third world countries). Officers were rude and using foul language. I was asked to leave my hand luggage outside the room. I sat in there for almost 3 hours and waited for my turn. Since I was sitting in the front row, I could hear most of the conversations between officers and people. JFK secondary has the most rudest and ruthless officers ever. I heard the F word so many times I couldn’t believe I am at a Fed Govt facility dealing with these officers.

This facility is an old medium size room to the left. Horrible conditions, smells like shit, and full of rude officers. Some people were throwing up on the floor because of the long flights and the other shit they have to deal with at the secondary. Some people were kept there over night but they were not allowed to sleep on their seats or eat. Families, women with kids, older folks, everyone was there. NO cell phones allowed, no laptops, no talking to each other, no changing seats, no bathroom facility.

When it was my turn, officer asked me the norms:

1. Present address
2. how long I was out
3. purpose
4. occupation.

Even after getting the clearance from the officer, there was another officer between secondary and luggage area. He didn’t believe I was done so he decided to bring me back to the secondary and asked the officer who cleared me if everything is ok.

Because of this whole drama, I missed my connecting flight. Since my luggage was on the belt for 3 hours, customs decided to throw it on the floor without any supervision. This is the first and the last time I have used JFK as POE.

Over all grade: F

US citizens were also being inspected in secondary room?? can you throw some more light on it? These I/O have no right to take a citizen into a sencodary and treat them like this?

 

[wantmygcnow]

US citizens were also being inspected in secondary room?? can you throw some more light on it? These I/O have no right to take a citizen into a sencodary and treat them like this?

Lazer, I have seen lots of USC in secondary. Once I remember, this dude had 2 passports, one regular and one diplomat one. Once a guys ex gf reported his passport as stolen so he got to secondary...You see lots of things like that and yes they get pissed.

But officers have all rights to send anyone to secondary. I came through pittsburgh once and they had no clue what RTD was but they also had a U.S citizen who had been in jail before but had to travel so they searched him pretty good...

 

[Mentos]

I came back form my country through JFK. I had my NP and GC with me. The officer sweep my Card then asks few question--like How long i been in my country-- did I went another country? I say yes--- cuz I went to my Neighbor country. What was the purpose of that Trip? ---Where i work? And that’s all. He Stamp my passport--- it's not even Two minutes.
I know a friend of mine who is a Citizen got his US passport long time ago through OP 1 -- but on the came back to USA he had gone through Secondary checking for Name Check and he had to wait long time for that----I know one of my other friend who got his GC by Employment had to wait 4 hours cuz INS need to clearance from 22 agency.
So i don't think we are a Asylee only go through Secondary checking by Using NP and GC.
I think most of the people go secondary room cuz Name check and they check any pervious criminal record.
That’s just my thought.--Good luck to everyone.

 

[OpeLLL]

Oh dear....
well... yes they do have the power to send anyone to that room... but come on, they abuse their power big times... like anywhere else...

 

[Nimche]

There is no such a rule for all I/O to obey the same way, every one of them may tell you the most stupid things that you have never heard. I've just came back from trip to Madrid and Rome. POE was JFK, and this one was my fourth times dealing with this people, first time after geeting the GC but even in secondary I have never had problems like this. This time with GC, I stayed with US Citizens and then it was an old officer and he said that he is not an IO, but he is the custom officer and this is not his specialty. he told me that because he did not know if he has to stamp my RP or not beacuse apperantly last time with my RP the officer did not stamp it in LAX and just use my GC to bring up the Info. He was nice and asked some stupid regular question like others and he said wellcome home as the others usually say. He felt bad for my wife because she is still in my home country and he wished us to be safe.
That was it.
LAX is very much better than any other airports in the US.
WANT, how much longer we have to wait for Wife processing. I makes me nuts.
You guys take care.

 

[wantmygcnow]

There is no such a rule for all I/O to obey the same way, every one of them may tell you the most stupid things that you have never heard. I've just came back from trip to Madrid and Rome. POE was JFK, and this one was my fourth times dealing with this people, first time after geeting the GC but even in secondary I have never had problems like this. This time with GC, I stayed with US Citizens and then it was an old officer and he said that he is not an IO, but he is the custom officer and this is not his specialty. he told me that because he did not know if he has to stamp my RP or not beacuse apperantly last time with my RP the officer did not stamp it in LAX and just use my GC to bring up the Info. He was nice and asked some stupid regular question like others and he said wellcome home as the others usually say. He felt bad for my wife because she is still in my home country and he wished us to be safe.
That was it.
LAX is very much better than any other airports in the US.
WANT, how much longer we have to wait for Wife processing. I makes me nuts.
You guys take care.

Nas, Welcome back. I am planning to go to Rome or Spain this summer with my wife..So tell me is it a good place to visit or its like all europe?

Hopefully by end of July, they pass an immigration bill that will include LPR spouses as immediate relatives(same as spouse of US Citizens). The group Unitefamilies has hired Bruce Morrison who used to work in Congress and was also helpful for LPRs when he was in congress as an aide. Ofcouse he costs money($3200) per month and we are asking people to donate at least $20 per month so we can keep on paying him...HE is working with congressmen to include LPR spouse issue in any bill that comes out. Last year while working for AmericanfamiliesUnited which deals with US Citizen illegal spouses, he was able to add a waiver clause in the bill that cleared the senate.

Visit http://groups.unitefamilies.com and make sure you donate..this problem will only be solved if we do something and giving $20 bucks to support our cause is nothing for most people..

 

[samird]

I just wanted to tell you that I never had problem in dulless (at least 5 trips)... so it all depends on many different factors...

 

[Flashington]

I just wanted to tell you that I never had problem in dulless (at least 5 trips)... so it all depends on many different factors...

Samird,

What documents did you use?

RTD + GC?

 

[Noman74]

..

US citizens were also being inspected in secondary room?? can you throw some more light on it? These I/O have no right to take a citizen into a sencodary and treat them like this?

It seemed like only people with brown or black skin (regardless of their Immgration status) were being held at that facility. To be honest, i didn't see no white folks or Europeans in there. But i was not in a position to question anyone. My only concern was to get my passport stamped and get the hell outta there!!!

 

[Punjabi_Munda]

May be

Well, Dulles airport got better because a lot of people filed complaint. Especially people who were recently naturalized USC and were travelling first time with their blue passport but USCIS system weren't updated.
so, like they say squeaky wheel gets the grease. May be that's what we need to do, file a complaint if you feel that you were mistreated.

 

[Nimche]

Nas, Welcome back. I am planning to go to Rome or Spain this summer with my wife..So tell me is it a good place to visit or its like all europe?

Hopefully by end of July, they pass an immigration bill that will include LPR spouses as immediate relatives(same as spouse of US Citizens). The group Unitefamilies has hired Bruce Morrison who used to work in Congress and was also helpful for LPRs when he was in congress as an aide. Ofcouse he costs money($3200) per month and we are asking people to donate at least $20 per month so we can keep on paying him...HE is working with congressmen to include LPR spouse issue in any bill that comes out. Last year while working for AmericanfamiliesUnited which deals with US Citizen illegal spouses, he was able to add a waiver clause in the bill that cleared the senate.

Visit http://groups.unitefamilies.com and make sure you donate..this problem will only be solved if we do something and giving $20 bucks to support our cause is nothing for most people..

I donated $20 as you instructed. I will apply for the my CS in almost six months. I don't know how long this bill will take to get in action or any thing else but I am pretty sure that I won't effect my situation. I hope within a year I will be able to have my wife here since it is really crazy. In the past three year we have been able to visit many countries and we are still keep doing it till our life get settle.

About visiting Madrid: It is a fine city. You see more poor people. Lots of immigrants from south america. Transportation is really good. Get the hotel close to city center but NOT in city center since it is really crazy. Hotel rooms are pretty expencive since they Money unit is euro, converting the money makes you lose a lot of dollar value. More shopping spots and markets. Bull fighting is one of the famous must seeing things unless you don't like to see a bull get killed which I didn't like it either but it is good to try for one time. Thats about it for Madrid.

Rome, Vatican is good to see, you can go to dome and St. peters Tomb. A lot of old cities which have been preserved from many years. Tranportation is suck. Make sure your hotel offer shuttle to the city. hotel in city center are pretty expensive and hotel 5 miles away are also expensive. We got 4 stars hotel for 160 dollar per night with breakfast but make yourself ready to shop at the super market and make your lunch and dinner at the room since the foor is really expensive like 40 bucks for a crappy food. it is probably a good idea to rent a car and go to other close cities and south and coast like Napoli.

I think the best thing for Europe now days is to get a tour with good price which includes everything (Food+Transporation+flight+etc..) or stay at some relatives house. The whole trip with hotel,food, shopping, flights for both of us and visa processing and all that came to about $6000, and this is only the estimation.

Please ask me if you need any help for anything.

Take care

 

[samird]

Flashington:

Since I got GC I never use RTD so I have RP. I also have NP and carry both. Also last few times I showed both. I renewed NP but situation in my CoP is changed (Old Former YU).

Samird,

What documents did you use?

RTD + GC?

 

[WoosterLad]

Noman74... Do you think perhaps you got pulled into secondary inspection precisely because you were returning from Dubai (aka. an Arab country)? I'm not saying they are right, but I wonder if that played a big part.

Pior to recieving my GC, I always got sent to a secondary inspection room, in Miami, JFK and LAX, but never did any of those checks take more than 10 minutes.