4 ms·

I agree that there's no excuse for disrespect or unprofessionalism on the part of the USCIS agents. And I suppose there may be no legal requirement for a perso

I agree that there's no excuse for disrespect or unprofessionalism on the part of the USCIS agents. And I suppose there may be no legal requirement for a person to disclose any information beyond "I'm a US Citizen returning to my home country". (I don't know this - I'm just assuming this, based on what you've said.) Ultimately, of course, if you're a citizen, it's my understanding they have to let you back in. However, they also have broad discretion over investigating "suspicious" situations. Unfortunately, not wanting to say "anything" about your situation (why you were out of the country, where you went, etc) may stand out as "suspicious" to an agent who's accustomed to idle conversation about people's reasons for travel.

sneak 13y ago
Indeed it raises suspicion, because it's anomalous. That's fine. Anything anomalous deserves additional attention. The problem is, the search is simply an invasive powertrip—and not thorough. It's as if they're searching me just to let me know they can. They asked me "what've you got in HERE?" bunches of times while going through the various zippered pockets of my bags, but missed several. It wasn't a very good search. Then, there's the threats of holding me in a cell for 72 hours, the threats of prosecution, the yelling, the physical intimidation, the verbal abuse ("you're only causing this trouble for yourself"), the massive delays (they sent the bus without me, stranding me several hours from the nearest airport). It's a fundamental disrespect that stems from their contempt for my unwillingness to follow their orders. They honestly wouldn't even tell me what city I was standing in, and kicked me out of the building onto a highway in a snowstorm in February in northern Vermont. I had no cell service and had to hitchhike to avoid getting frostbite. I'm not complaining about receiving additional scrutiny, though I do personally believe that the 4th amendment protections should be intact even at the border. I'm complaining about straight up harassment and abuse.

sneak 13y ago

Indeed it raises suspicion, because it's anomalous. That's fine. Anything anomalous deserves additional attention. The problem is, the search is simply an invasive powertrip—and not thorough. It's as if they're searching me just to let me know they can. They asked me "what've you got in HERE?" bunches of times while going through the various zippered pockets of my bags, but missed several. It wasn't a very good search. Then, there's the threats of holding me in a cell for 72 hours, the threats of prosecution, the yelling, the physical intimidation, the verbal abuse ("you're only causing this trouble for yourself"), the massive delays (they sent the bus without me, stranding me several hours from the nearest airport). It's a fundamental disrespect that stems from their contempt for my unwillingness to follow their orders. They honestly wouldn't even tell me what city I was standing in, and kicked me out of the building onto a highway in a snowstorm in February in northern Vermont. I had no cell service and had to hitchhike to avoid getting frostbite. I'm not complaining about receiving additional scrutiny, though I do personally believe that the 4th amendment protections should be intact even at the border. I'm complaining about straight up harassment and abuse.