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An American civil rights lawyer, with Global Entry, still gets tagged 4 times in one by ICE ...
“I'm confiscating this.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re being non-compliant.”
“Pardon? I’ve been cleared three times now. How am I non-compliant?”
“You mocked us for checking your chocolate for explosives.”
“Well, yeah, I mean ... seriously? And you didn’t answer. How was I non-compliant?"
“You’re breaking the law.”
“What? How? Asking a third time. How am I non-compliant? What law have I broken?”
Rather than answering, he walked away. I called out, “I’d like to speak with your supervisor please.”
“He is the supervisor,” one of the other CBP officers responded.
“Then I want to speak to his supervisor,” I shot back.
I asked at least five more times: How, exactly, I was non-compliant?
I knew I was on camera being recorded. Everyone knew. They would have to prove somehow that I hadn’t complied—when in fact I clearly had.
No one answered.
Still, my mind began to wander. What if he doesn’t return my ID card? What if they arrest me? These are the same people who are ripping migrant children from their parents and throwing them in latter-day concentration camps—there’s no telling what they can do to a minority this president has tried to ban from entering the country.
As I sat there and maintained an external calm, inside I was furious that this blatant discrimination and profiling persisted under the guise of “security.”
Finally, a fourth CBP officer approached me, followed by the officer who took my Global Entry card.
"I’m the supervisor on duty. So you think because you have Global Entry you’re exempt from screening?”
“What? No. I said I’ve been screened and cleared three times so far. But despite that, your officer took my Global Entry card and said I’m being non-compliant. And he said that I’ve broken the law. But he refuses to give me any example of non-compliance or cite what law I’ve broken. Please explain this to me.”
The supervisor turned to the confiscating officer and asked, “Why’d you stop him?”
“Well, he was laughing at us.” (It’s true, I did chuckle in disbelief. Guilty as charged.)
“But did he refuse orders?”
“No, I mean, he harassed us.”
I didn’t yell at this point, but I raised my voice. “This is ridiculous. You have the power. You’re detaining me. You have my property. But somehow I’m harassing you? What? Do you hear yourself?”
The defining moment is screwing up a kid's gift, just for the fun of it....
“No,” he snarked. “I need to check your bag again.”
I let out another sigh, but complied.
As I set my bags back on the steel counter, I added, gesturing toward his colleague, “Look, I have Global Entry. This officer checked my things. She cleared me. What’s the issue?”
The second CBP officer didn’t respond. Instead, he opened my bag and took out the chocolate I had brought from London for my children.
“What's this?” he asked, as if he’d never seen chocolate before.
“It’s … chocolate.”
“Where’d you buy it?”
“Heathrow. Here’s the receipt.” (When I’m traveling, I always keep receipts, especially of what I buy at airports, for this very purpose.)
“OK,” he said. “We have to do an explosives check.”
Now I was getting frustrated. “My kids’ chocolate is a matter of national security now?” I asked. “Seriously?”
“I’m opening this chocolate whether you like it or not.”
He proceeded to rip up the chocolate with a pocketknife. Apparently that’s the CBP test for explosives. (Spoiler alert: The chocolate, a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk, was non-explosive.) I stood there with a blank look on my face.
“OK, you can go,” he finally conceded.
Then he gets nabbed again....
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We've got jobs for those who are of job age !
(Hint.. In the film A Clockwork Orange, Alex's fellow Droogs are now the brutal cops who arrest him and deliver him to be tortured)
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OMG!
Real British Cadbury chocolate.
That's incredibly cruel.
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Janit wrote:
Read the original, it's a much better story:
What??
Then how can he twist it to fit his agenda?
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Wild eep wrote:
[quote=Janit]
Read the original, it's a much better story:
What??
Then how can he twist it to fit his agenda?
Seems the same story to me, but more complete.
But the screeners are definitely getting their mojo on. When they decide my international science trip means I need to be selected for extra screening, I give them whatever they want and thank them when they release me. Any friction on a screener’s part is considered guilt.
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sekker wrote:
[quote=Wild eep]
[quote=Janit]
Read the original, it's a much better story:
What??
Then how can he twist it to fit his agenda?
Seems the same story to me, but more complete.
An excellent illustration that my system works very well, one fail, two passes....
sekker wrote:
But the screeners are definitely getting their mojo on. When they decide my international science trip means I need to be selected for extra screening, I give them whatever they want and thank them when they release me. Any friction on a screener’s part is considered guilt.
Another illustration of the OP, you have been trained well....
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OH for chrissakes, max, you haven't trained anybody to do anything but think you are a pompous ass.
BTW, nice job clipping out all the Muslim references. Because we all know that you support the Muslim ban and you knew you'd look stupid complaining about hassling a Muslim.
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max wrote:
An excellent illustration that my system works very well, one fail, two passes....
Another illustration of the OP, you have been trained well....
" Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a lack of understanding of others' feelings."
Signs and symptoms
People with narcissistic personality disorder are characterized by their persistent grandiosity, excessive need for admiration, and a disdain and lack of empathy for others. These individuals often display arrogance, a sense of superiority, and power-seeking behaviors. Narcissistic personality disorder is different from having a strong sense of self-confidence. This is because people with NPD typically value themselves over others to the extent that they disregard the feelings and wishes of others and expect to be treated as superior regardless of their actual status or achievements. In addition, people with NPD may exhibit fragile egos, an inability to tolerate criticism, and a tendency to belittle others in an attempt to validate their own superiority."
"Therapy is often difficult as people frequently do not consider themselves to have a problem."
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max wrote:
[quote=sekker]
[quote=Wild eep]
[quote=Janit]
Read the original, it's a much better story:
What??
Then how can he twist it to fit his agenda?
Seems the same story to me, but more complete.
An excellent illustration that my system works very well, one fail, two passes....
sekker wrote:
But the screeners are definitely getting their mojo on. When they decide my international science trip means I need to be selected for extra screening, I give them whatever they want and thank them when they release me. Any friction on a screener’s part is considered guilt.
Another illustration of the OP, you have been trained well....
max, I truly feel sorry for you. I wasn't belittling your post, but providing a real-life example SUPPORTING the link you provided.
And give me a break - I am absolutely sure you do the SAME THING when you go into and out of China.
Finally, through no fault of my own I've lived through the 'Terminal Man' experience already once in my life - I have absolutely NO interest in repeating the experience. I am GENUINELY happy to be released.
Meanwhile, while I am living on US ground, I take my political responsibilities and work to support civil rights.
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