If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#211
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
On Jul 16, 2:57 pm, Merritt Mullen wrote:
In article , "tim....." wrote: If they were taught to use their manners when they first talked with people and only go into 'agressive' mode when you give the wrong answers, people might be more sympathetic about the job that they have to do. Why do you think that is not the case? Have you had a bad experience? I once had more to declare than they normally let in (which lead me to believe I might have to pay taxes or duties, since that's what we do when going into Canada with too much stuff). It wasn't major, I was declaring $280 US, and I think the maximum was supposed to be $200 US. I was flagged for secondary and the PIL officer said, "we just need to have a look at that stuff you're bringing." That suited me all fine. Next thing I know, the gestapo is standing beside my car (it's 40 below, the window is open 2 inches because it was so cold outside, which they didn't seem to say anything about), and I'm being peppered with questions and not even being given time to answer one officer before the next throws a question at me. Then they tell me I'm not answering their questions. For anyone who knows me well, I have a degenerative nervous disorder and stress triggers me into fits when these sorts of things happen. Let's just say that I had my bad times at work from stress, but not every day. So I think I have a backbone that if I'm being broken by a few questions it must be pretty serious. I was very upset about not being given a chance to say anything, and a PI would say, "if you have a talkative subject, let them talk, they'll likely put their foot in their mouth." When most of the officers took off, and one was left to babysit, I was actually able to talk to this guy, tell him how upset his co-workers made me, explain my illness, tell him what I was doing, etc. We had a nice 20 minute chat while waiting for the search garage to become available, and by the time it came to that, he was really sorry he had to even look at my stuff. He told me he was sorry I was treated so harshly, but they thought they were "protecting America", and hadn't given me a chance to prove I was just some high-strung visitor who had gifts for a friend, so to speak. So that's my bad experience... which turned out alright because they aren't all like that, but if there's one thing that upsets me more than anything, is being hammered with questions and not being able to answer them in turn, and then being accused as a result... Since I don't have problems with the law, it's safe to say I'm not used to being treated this way. Even our internal security at my former jobs didn't interrogate us like that when they wanted information. S. |
#212
|
|||
|
|||
Requirements to have Social Security Numbers (was: Rules for border crossings into the United States)
Those rules changed around 1998-99. If you're a foreign national
without a residence in the US, you can open a checking account. I think you need a Fed-ITIN to open a savings account or anything bearing interests (which means the bank will request you to provide one, and you use the letter to get one from the IRS, I'm not sure if they hand those out for no good reason, or if a foreign national who does not reside in the US can get one... Never tried to get one). I do have a checking account without an SSN, and I have no address within in the US either, not even a vacation home. Unfortunately Immigration and Customs are not aware that you can get a bank account without an SSN. I know this first hand because in 2006, when I tried to cross, I was questioned about having this account, and how I opened it. I was referred to the Immigration Supervisor who told me in his memos it indicates a foreign national cannot open an account unless they have a SSN or Fed-ITIN. He said, "if you managed to get this without an SSN and don't need one, get a notorized letter from your bank to prove it to us next time." So basically they let me go because they had nothing else on me... but it added yet another one- time black mark on me. I've had that stupid letter with me on every trip, and no one has asked to see it. They've even looked in my purse twice and the officer found the bank statement and looked at it, and it never occurred to him to ask "if I have an address in Canada, why a checking account in the US?" It's amazing the stuff that happens ONCE that never ever happens again... it seems like when I'm prepared to answer a question, they've found something new to bug me about. I'm really scared to know what they've typed into that computer about me... S. On Jul 16, 3:55 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" wrote: Assuming the alien isn't committing document fraud, it's no longer possible to get an SSN unless he holds a Green Card (lawful permanent resident alien who may work). Previously, it was possible for any alien to get an SSN to open a bank account, but that changed when IRS began issuing taxpayer identification numbers directly to foreign nationals ineligible for SSNs. Until a few years ago, aliens could obtain SSNs to get driver's licenses, but that ended eventually. Aliens ineligible to work used to be issued SSNs from a special series of numbers and had Social Security cards that stated they were ineligible to work. If the alien became a lawful permanent resident, he could no longer use the special SSN and had to re-apply for a normal SSN. When Social Security stopped issuing SSNs to resident aliens ineligible to work, it took my state several years to change the law requiring an applicant for a driver's license to have an SSN. So we had lots of aliens driving without licenses during that period. Brilliant. |
#213
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
On 2007-07-22 17:21:46 -0400, Sapphyre said:
(Uh, I could have been born somewhere and came to the US with my parents at 3 months of age, if I were then a citizen I wouldn't necessarily have immigration documents...) If your parents hadn't given you the necessary immigration documents when you grew up, they'd have been pretty negligent parents. |
#214
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
On 2007-07-22 17:41:33 -0400, Sapphyre said:
On Jul 16, 9:01 am, sechumlib wrote: I'm just not used to smart-ass comments from people who have no possible interest in the subject and have nothing of any value whatever to contribute. Which is a perfect description of you.- Hide quoted text - Well, you've responded that way to others (as in, you answered one of my posts this way), so now you get upest someone has done it to you? Did I indicate in any way that I was "upest"? I rarely respond to your posts because your perfect description of him is fitting of you too, but once in a while you have some valid input. Note, once in a while... I lurk a lot more than I post, so I do take notice of these things. I'm glad you think I have valid input sometimes. It really doesn't matter to me that you don't dote on everything I say. |
#215
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
On Jul 22, 6:21 pm, sechumlib wrote:
On 2007-07-22 17:21:46 -0400, Sapphyre said: (Uh, I could have been born somewhere and came to the US with my parents at 3 months of age, if I were then a citizen I wouldn't necessarily have immigration documents...) If your parents hadn't given you the necessary immigration documents when you grew up, they'd have been pretty negligent parents. You quoted well, but apparently don't read too well.. Hypothetically, I could have been born somewhere else, and came with my parents to the US when I was 3 months old. Later become a citizen, therefore I no longer would have a Green Card (or other Immigration related documents). Since when do people who become citizens carry a Green Card around? Isn't that illegal? Like don't you have to give that up when you naturalize? Don't you read the entirety of what you quote before you shoot your mouth off? And I don't even speak English as a first language. S. |
#216
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak
On 2007-07-22 17:59:40 -0400, Sapphyre said:
For anyone who knows me well, I have a degenerative nervous disorder and stress triggers me into fits when these sorts of things happen. Let's just say that I had my bad times at work from stress, but not every day. Perhaps you need to develop some strategies for dealing with your disorder at the border, particularly on "40 degrees below" days. It's sort of out-of-it to rely on others to deal with such a situation when they don't know it's coming. |
#217
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
Sapphyre wrote:
On Jul 15, 9:10 pm, Fred Ellis wrote: You must not have gone through one of these Border Patrol check points before. All you do is drive up to the Border Patrol officer, lower your window and he asks if you are a U.S. citizen. You answer yes while he looks inside your vehicle to see if there are any other passengers. Then you tell the officer to have a nice day, raise your window and you drive on. That works if you're a U.S. Citizen. I am not. When I say "no", then what? I've been through only one of these checkpoints (Van Horn, Texas, on Greyhound). The officers boarded the bus, the driver told us they were "checking the bus" but I didn't know what for until he started asking people where they were born. When I told him where I was born, he demanded "immigration documents". (Uh, I could have been born somewhere and came to the US with my parents at 3 months of age, if I were then a citizen I wouldn't necessarily have immigration documents...) Since I was travelling on a foreign passport (and permanently residing in Canada), I had "immigration documents", but I have to wonder whether or not he'd accept a Canadian passport with no stamps if that's what I showed this time around. I've never had my passport stamped by the US officials ever since I had it (three years now). I always had my foreign one stamped and filled in an arrival/departure green card, but they don't seem to do that with Canadian passports. That leads me to wonder how they can tell if I'm legal or not... Then they treat you like a Canadian citizen even though you are only a permanent resident. What is your nationality? These days with the US demanding everyone use magnetic passports, do passports get stamped any more? |
#218
|
|||
|
|||
Rules for border crossings into the United States (was: Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak)
On 22 Jul 2007 19:04:27 GMT, "Adam H. Kerman" wrote:
Peter Schleifer wrote: The reason the schools make it a requirement is to remove any stigma from submitting the form, and to make sure people who may qualify, but do not think of themselves as poor, get their kids fed adequately. What if a parent tries to teach a student a valuable lesson in privacy, not to fill out unnecessary forms just because a clerk demands information? Then the student also learns that, unlike other phone calls from the school, the follow-up phone calls they make about the lunch forms can be ignored. Title I money is based on the percentage of students eligible for free lunch. None of the schools my kids attend qualify for Title I, but I think there are some other funds allocated based on the number of low-income students, so the schools do try really hard to get those forms in. A little too hard - one former employee at the elementary school asked my wife if she could fill in the form pretending that I (and my income) did not exist. If there's a stigma, it's because the school district's clerical employees are unkind to children. No parent who isn't applying for an income-based program should EVER reveal income information to a school. My daughter attended a summer camp that had an income-based sliding fee scale. They requested proof of income as part of the registration, but accepted my statement that, "we are paying full price." -- Peter Schleifer "Save me from the people who would save me from myself" |
#219
|
|||
|
|||
Rules for border crossings into the United States (was: Immigration patrols on domestic Amtrak)
|
#220
|
|||
|
|||
Immigration Patrols On Domestic Amtrak
On 2007-07-22 18:24:26 -0400, Sapphyre said:
On Jul 22, 6:21 pm, sechumlib wrote: On 2007-07-22 17:21:46 -0400, Sapphyre said: (Uh, I could have been born somewhere and came to the US with my parents at 3 months of age, if I were then a citizen I wouldn't necessarily have immigration documents...) If your parents hadn't given you the necessary immigration documents when you grew up, they'd have been pretty negligent parents. You quoted well, but apparently don't read too well.. Hypothetically, I could have been born somewhere else, and came with my parents to the US when I was 3 months old. Later become a citizen, therefore I no longer would have a Green Card (or other Immigration related documents). Since when do people who become citizens carry a Green Card around? Isn't that illegal? Like don't you have to give that up when you naturalize? Don't you read the entirety of what you quote before you shoot your mouth off? And I don't even speak English as a first language. Let's see. You've stated numerous times that you are not a US citizen. I gather you don't even live in the US, though you like to travel here at will. Moreover, you're not a native-born Canadian but have become a Canadian citizen. Please feel free to correct any of these statements that is incorrect. Then what business do you have raising "hypothetical" questions about US border-crossing law, and addressing me as though I (a native-born US citizen) were the ignoramus when I react to them as the intellectual nullities they seem to be? And why, now that I think of it, should I even bother to read your "hypotheticals" about US border crossing law, let alone try to deal with them in a serious way? If you want real advice on your "hypothetical", perhaps you should consult a US immigration attorney rather than scattering random speculations on a newsgroup for laypersons to try to deal with. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
How bad is Amtrak? | Odysseus | Cruises | 22 | December 18th, 2006 02:33 AM |
OT - Amtrak | Duh_OZ | Air travel | 1 | November 29th, 2006 04:10 PM |
Kenya to Request Patrols of Somalian Waters | Mark O. Polo | Cruises | 4 | November 15th, 2005 04:21 AM |
Amtrak NYC to DC - $$$$ | [email protected] | USA & Canada | 23 | May 13th, 2004 09:25 PM |
Amtrak | Mike Steen | Cruises | 2 | April 6th, 2004 02:15 AM |