Sunday I reentered America at LAX and US Immigration "entry stamped" my US Passport.

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 17:12:21 -0500, nobody wrote:

then that stamp would help you get out of prison since it
implicitely proves you have left their country by entering the USA on a
specific date and thus hadn't overstayed your visa there.


That is a good point I had not considered. I wonder why they are so
inconsistent about it though. If I went through LAX immigration 10
times without being stamped while others seem to get it all the time
it seems there is no rhyme or reason to whatever policy there is.
That then makes the whole thing silly. I suppose I should not expect
more from the government. Really it makes no difference to me. I just
thought it was strange that they did it this time but not before. Now
it seems even stranger since apparently they do it "sometimes" when
the feel like it for no obvious reason and more to some people than to
others.

"nobody" wrote in message
...
Simple business decision. If the government makes money re-issuing
passports,
then it stands to gain by stamping US passports with as much useless stuff
as
possible so that you run out of space and need to request (and pay !) for
a
new passport.

:-)

I'm glad you included the smilely.


Consider the treatment the current USA regime gives to visitors to the USA
who
have overstayed a visa in the past.

What treatment does the USA give visitors who have previously violated
immigration laws? The law is clear, as are the penalties for its violation.
Who goes to another country and believes they can violate the law with
impunity?

Since the USA has every reason to fear
that other countries might treat USA citizens the same way USA treats
their
citizens,

"Fear"? Have you travelled much internationally? US immigration procedures
for _visitors_ are not particularly onerous, and considerably easier than
those of a number of countries I've visited, many of which profess to be
democracies.

then that stamp would help you get out of prison since it
implicitely proves you have left their country by entering the USA on a
specific date and thus hadn't overstayed your visa there.

Oh, please . . what nonsense! My passport is scanned whenever I depart a
Schengen country (which has the most liberal . . . and reciprocal . . .
entry requirements with respect to the US) and, I suppose, if I wanted to
get an exit stamp I could. I am, however, in the computer -- they know when
I entered, and they know when I left. And, unlike the U.S., they know every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.

There's an awful lot about the U.S. that is very wrong just now.
Immigration procedures for visitors isn't one of them.


Come to think of it, any visitor to the USA should have their passport
stamped
when they enter another country after leaving the USA. Since the USA
doesn't
have exit controls and thus is incapable of really tracking who has and
hasn't overstayed their visas, having a stamp from another country proving
you
had left the USA on such and such a date might be your ticket to prevent a
visit to a USA prison.

And, unlike the U.S., they know every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.


What twaddle - very few European countries take passport information and
forward it to the Police Station. I'm fascinated by this whole thread!!
Lotta scared angry people out there - likely to be many more until the US
changes leadership!!!


PTRAVEL" wrote in message
...

"nobody" wrote in message
...
Simple business decision. If the government makes money re-issuing
passports,
then it stands to gain by stamping US passports with as much useless
stuff
as
possible so that you run out of space and need to request (and pay !)
for
a
new passport.

:-)

I'm glad you included the smilely.


Consider the treatment the current USA regime gives to visitors to the
USA
who
have overstayed a visa in the past.

What treatment does the USA give visitors who have previously violated
immigration laws? The law is clear, as are the penalties for its
violation.
Who goes to another country and believes they can violate the law with
impunity?

Since the USA has every reason to fear
that other countries might treat USA citizens the same way USA treats
their
citizens,

"Fear"? Have you travelled much internationally? US immigration
procedures
for _visitors_ are not particularly onerous, and considerably easier than
those of a number of countries I've visited, many of which profess to be
democracies.

then that stamp would help you get out of prison since it
implicitely proves you have left their country by entering the USA on a
specific date and thus hadn't overstayed your visa there.

Oh, please . . what nonsense! My passport is scanned whenever I depart a
Schengen country (which has the most liberal . . . and reciprocal . . .
entry requirements with respect to the US) and, I suppose, if I wanted to
get an exit stamp I could. I am, however, in the computer -- they know
when
I entered, and they know when I left. And, unlike the U.S., they know
every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.

There's an awful lot about the U.S. that is very wrong just now.
Immigration procedures for visitors isn't one of them.


Come to think of it, any visitor to the USA should have their passport
stamped
when they enter another country after leaving the USA. Since the USA
doesn't
have exit controls and thus is incapable of really tracking who has and
hasn't overstayed their visas, having a stamp from another country
proving
you
had left the USA on such and such a date might be your ticket to prevent
a
visit to a USA prison.

"PTRAVEL" wrote in message
...

@X. wrote in message
...
So Sunday I returned from Asia through LAX. Despite the holiday
weekend I got through Customs and Immigration very quickly. The funny
part was the immigration agent put an entry stamp in my US Passport.
They have never done this in the past and it seemed a little odd to
me. Is this some sort of new policy? Just curious, it seems
strange. Have they ever put an entry stamp in anyone else's US
Passport? It's a first for me. I just picture some foreign agent
somewhere questioning why I stamped into the country but never stamped
out next time.

We cleared immigration and customs at EWR from Rome. Our passports were
also stamped, which happens to us from time to time.

I think it depends on the airport and the immigrations agent. I've nver had
my passport stamped upon re-entry at DTW (which is the re-entry point I've
used the most this year), but I've been stamped with two recent re-entries
at JFK (first two times using JFK as a re-entry point). In the past, I've
also been stamped at LAX, IAH, DFW, ATL, MSP and ORD upon re-entry to the
US. I've also entered through some of the above points and haven't been
stamped. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.. Sometimes they
do, sometimes they don't.

FWIW, as many times as I've entered Schengen Europe via AMS (or physically
entered The Netherlands prior to Schengen), I had never been stamped in AMS.
On a recent trip I did get stamped at Schiphol (AMS) as I entered the
Schengen area to make a connection to another EU (Schengen) country, which
came as a surprise to me. Why, I don't know -- but it's nice to finally
have an Amsterdam stamp in my passport as many times as I've been there

Best,

Steve

"Paul O" wrote in message
u...
And, unlike the U.S., they know every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.


What twaddle - very few European countries take passport information and
forward it to the Police Station.

Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic are all countries in which hotels have taken my passport and
recorded the information.

Care to try again?

I'm fascinated by this whole thread!!
Lotta scared angry people out there - likely to be many more until the US
changes leadership!!!


PTRAVEL" wrote in message
...

"nobody" wrote in message
...
Simple business decision. If the government makes money re-issuing
passports,
then it stands to gain by stamping US passports with as much useless
stuff
as
possible so that you run out of space and need to request (and pay !)
for
a
new passport.

:-)

I'm glad you included the smilely.


Consider the treatment the current USA regime gives to visitors to the
USA
who
have overstayed a visa in the past.

What treatment does the USA give visitors who have previously violated
immigration laws? The law is clear, as are the penalties for its
violation.
Who goes to another country and believes they can violate the law with
impunity?

Since the USA has every reason to fear
that other countries might treat USA citizens the same way USA treats
their
citizens,

"Fear"? Have you travelled much internationally? US immigration
procedures
for _visitors_ are not particularly onerous, and considerably easier
than
those of a number of countries I've visited, many of which profess to be
democracies.

then that stamp would help you get out of prison since it
implicitely proves you have left their country by entering the USA on
a
specific date and thus hadn't overstayed your visa there.

Oh, please . . what nonsense! My passport is scanned whenever I depart
a
Schengen country (which has the most liberal . . . and reciprocal . . .
entry requirements with respect to the US) and, I suppose, if I wanted
to
get an exit stamp I could. I am, however, in the computer -- they know
when
I entered, and they know when I left. And, unlike the U.S., they know
every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the
information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.

There's an awful lot about the U.S. that is very wrong just now.
Immigration procedures for visitors isn't one of them.


Come to think of it, any visitor to the USA should have their passport
stamped
when they enter another country after leaving the USA. Since the USA
doesn't
have exit controls and thus is incapable of really tracking who has
and
hasn't overstayed their visas, having a stamp from another country
proving
you
had left the USA on such and such a date might be your ticket to
prevent
a
visit to a USA prison.

Binyamin Dissen wrote:

There never is a stamp out from the USA.

Yes there is...
In special circumstances, (I think citizens of certain countries but not sure)
are required to visit with an immigration official before departing the USA.
At that time they get a USA departure stamp in their passport. The departure
stamp looks different then the commonly seen arrival stamp.
I actually went through this process with an aquantance at EWR a few months
ago.

- - Paul

I've had it happen to me more often than not, both when returning by air
(LAX, ORD and MSP) and by cruise ship (Tampa Bay). I've always found it a
bit odd as well, but USA isn't the only country. When visiting the
Philippines, they stamp my wife's passport (who is a Philippine citizen and
therefore has a Philippine passport) on both entry and exit. (But at least
she is exempted from the airport departure tax! :-) )
Craig

--
"They that can give up essential liberty to
obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither
liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin

Concerned with the direction our government
is going? VOTE LIBERTARIAN

"Mike Cordelli" wrote in message
. com...
I've had it happen every now and then from Europe, I always believe it's a
guy having a lousy day because he always grunts and puts it on a precious
clean page.



@X. wrote in message
...
So Sunday I returned from Asia through LAX. Despite the holiday
weekend I got through Customs and Immigration very quickly. The funny
part was the immigration agent put an entry stamp in my US Passport.
They have never done this in the past and it seemed a little odd to
me. Is this some sort of new policy? Just curious, it seems
strange. Have they ever put an entry stamp in anyone else's US
Passport? It's a first for me. I just picture some foreign agent
somewhere questioning why I stamped into the country but never stamped
out next time.

In article iJbzb.205839$Dw6.754282@attbi_s02, "Steve"
wrote:

FWIW, as many times as I've entered Schengen Europe via AMS (or physically
entered The Netherlands prior to Schengen), I had never been stamped in AMS.
On a recent trip I did get stamped at Schiphol (AMS) as I entered the
Schengen area to make a connection to another EU (Schengen) country, which
came as a surprise to me. Why, I don't know -- but it's nice to finally
have an Amsterdam stamp in my passport as many times as I've been there

Yes, that's one reason why I have a stamp for LGW and another for Dover
with no intermediary stamps -- my passport wasn't stamped upon arrival in
Amsterdam.

--
_Deirdre http://deirdre.net
"Dogs may have kept us company on the hunt, but it was the cats who
insisted we invent houses and discover fire." -- Khiem Tran

In article ,
EMOVE (Ocean1971) wrote:

Binyamin Dissen wrote:

There never is a stamp out from the USA.

Yes there is...
In special circumstances, (I think citizens of certain countries but not sure)
are required to visit with an immigration official before departing the USA.
At that time they get a USA departure stamp in their passport.

I have a British friend who once overstayed her 90 days by 4 days. She is
now required to get an exit stamp.

--
_Deirdre http://deirdre.net
"Dogs may have kept us company on the hunt, but it was the cats who
insisted we invent houses and discover fire." -- Khiem Tran

In article ,
"PTRAVEL" wrote:

"Paul O" wrote in message
u...
And, unlike the U.S., they know every
hotel I've stayed in, as my passport is taken from me and the information
recorded and forwarded to the local police department. I don't fear the
procedure, or resent it.


What twaddle - very few European countries take passport information and
forward it to the Police Station.

Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic are all countries in which hotels have taken my passport and
recorded the information.

Go to little hotels and inns. They never bother with your ID