Problems on the U.S. Side
- Thread starter tmotsinger
- Start date
playaperro
El Pirata
We did pretty good we fish out a few cops, a couple attorneys, some haters. LOL hey they even started their own thread!
rockyptjoe
Guest
You left out some anarchists....
You mean they hijacked another thread....
Even Happy couldn't have done as well!! :rofl:
Kenny
Guest
How someone can handle threads they don't like or care about is easy, don't read them! A few minutes ago I opened the thread on Sam's Club for the first time, and that was only to see how many responses it had, 30! I don't give a **** about Sam's club, so I didn't read it; still haven't.
Every time I travel anywhere, I carry my digital camera with fully sharged battery and high capacity SD card, and I record everything when in contact with any officials, mexican or american. I have a backup hidden camera inside the car just in case that officials take my camera away illegaly. Best way to defend yourself is to record everything
tmotsinger
Eating Newbie Gringo Taco
Thanks, Eduardo. I've been advised to do the same, and have done enough research into it now to know that I should indeed record encounters and will take measures like that and others to protect myself. I was naive about law enforcement, but I'm not now. I'm also soliciting guidance from attorneys on how best to protect myself and family in the future, and can share what i learn here on the forum.
By way of update... in July, I was in my same truck--one that BP seems to hate--and got waved over for screening headed northbound, as always. This time, I had my wife, teenage daughter, her friend, my 11-year-old stepson, and two dogs. Got kinda roughed up (not physically) by the BP agent questioning me in the detainment room while they went through my truck. He had asked me why I go to Mexico so often and I respectfully declined to answer (learning, so I thought, from my foolish forthcomingness with the PC sherrif deputies). That led him to threaten to put me in the lockup room he emphatically stood up and pointed to, for 24 hours--all in front of my family. His supervisor, whom my wife immediately asked to see, did come out and apologize.
I think it's likely that if I'd not been with my family--as I wasn't in the incident that headlined this thread--my 24 hours of detainment this time would have been courtesy of the BP this time rather than PCSO.
rockyptjoe
Guest
It's always "interesting" to read these reports of the "problems" that people have at the border crossing or with the border checkpoints. I've been going down for almost 30 years, sometimes with my kids, sometimes with friends, and sometimes by myself. I've towed a travel trailer, jetski trailer, utility trailer, driven a full size van, a pickup truck, and just a regular old car. Once, the front end of my truck had duct tape all over holding parts in after I had an accident in Penasco. I have never been hassled in this way or threatened with detention (I take that back...I was hassled once, but not by Border Patrol, but by ADOT, since I was bringing back a 55 gal drum of diesel when the prices went crazy, and they wanted their fuel tax $$). I have several friends who have also been going down for years, and also haven't had any problems!
Sure, I've been sent to secondary a few times over the years.....so what? I think the longest I've waited at secondary was 10-15 minutes, except for the diesel "affair" when I "Inquired" of the ADOT people what the applicable AZ statutes were, and the time when my trailer got put through the xray over on the side. Either of those took maybe a half hour.
Is it possible that the attitude you take with the Border Patrol people has something to do with it???? Sure, I've had to deal with some surly BP/Customs people (total assholes in some cases)....but most have been friendly, and just trying to do their jobs. Will antagonizing the surly ones any further help you? Just asking.......
OK...here it comes....the good old "I have my rights" diatribes!!!
Sure, I've been sent to secondary a few times over the years.....so what? I think the longest I've waited at secondary was 10-15 minutes, except for the diesel "affair" when I "Inquired" of the ADOT people what the applicable AZ statutes were, and the time when my trailer got put through the xray over on the side. Either of those took maybe a half hour.
Is it possible that the attitude you take with the Border Patrol people has something to do with it???? Sure, I've had to deal with some surly BP/Customs people (total assholes in some cases)....but most have been friendly, and just trying to do their jobs. Will antagonizing the surly ones any further help you? Just asking.......
OK...here it comes....the good old "I have my rights" diatribes!!!
tmotsinger
Eating Newbie Gringo Taco
I'm "glad" your travels have gone well, Joe. Most of mine have, too.
mexicoruss
Lovin it in RP!
Joe I may have agreed with you in the past but after my wife (who was traveling alone) was roughed up by AZ BP I am on guard when I cross the border going North. If they can think that all of us coming from Mexico are doing something illegal then it is only fair to think that all of them are this or that. When they call me names and tell me to just renounce my citizenship and get it over with then it kind of further shapes my attitude toward them. They are not innocent. Not all of them, probably not most of them. Twice they have threatened to seize my Mexican plated cars, once had my passport thrown at me and told to get the hell out of the line......it goes on and on. Perhaps you are blessed and dont raise suspicion, oh wait that would apply to my wife too. No I dont forgive them for that incident. One more thing "respect" is earned not deserved.
RPJoe, the problem with the critters at the border is they have extended their duties into areas they need not go. As a repatriating US citizen, their primary objective is to collect duties, as you found out with the diesle matter. When they ask BS questions like "why do you go down to Mexico so often", that's just them being ass-clowns thinking that despite the fact they probably couldn't hold down a job flipping burgers, that suddenly they're Sherlock Holmes and are going to uncover some large and nefarious plot using their razor sharp wits and asking lots of questions. The proper response to this is "I have nothing to declare, am I free to go now".
rockyptjoe
Guest
Russ...I'm sorry if your wife went thru some grief....the way to handle rudeness on their part is to take names and badge numbers...and take it up with the supervision in Tucson...or higher, if necessary.
My point is that taking the atittude of some of the posters on here and the video shown on another thread....is assinine ......yes, assinine.....it accomplishes nothing....and just antagonizes and causes problems for yourself, and for others. Take it up with Homeland Security.....with your congressmen.....with the courts!
Oh that's right....the laws can't be changed......the courts can't be "influenced"!!
mexicoruss
Lovin it in RP!
Joe take all the names and badge numbers you want, it is a systemic problem, and she was not put through a little grief "maam get off the phone, no you may not tell your husband what is going on" Step away from your car and sit in the detention room while we go through your Jeep. No you may not call your husband. Yes this is the room where we handcuff people to the bars no you may not sit outside. Why are you driving a Mexican car? No you may not call your husband if you do we will take your phone away.
Shes a pretty mild person....she was petrified at first because of the manhandling and the way she was talked to. Then she got angry. She did not smart off to them, they were jackasses from the start.
Get their names and numbers, then they get shipped somewhere else with their self hating attitude to foist their crap on others. Its bad up there.
Shes a pretty mild person....she was petrified at first because of the manhandling and the way she was talked to. Then she got angry. She did not smart off to them, they were jackasses from the start.
Get their names and numbers, then they get shipped somewhere else with their self hating attitude to foist their crap on others. Its bad up there.
rockyptjoe
Guest
First of all...the grief I got was NOT from the Border Patrol or Customs....it was from ADOT (Arizona Dept. of Transportation)...who keep someone at the border crossing.
Second, I just love the generalizations.....like "that's just them being ass-clowns" or "the fact they probably couldn't hold down a job flipping burgers"...if that's the "attitude" you have going in...I'm not surprised you get the attitude from them coming out!
If I'm dealing with one of the "ass-clowns" at the border....only a very few that I've ever run into...I go out of my way not to antagonize.....if you want to call it "kiss ass"...you go right ahead! I prefer that then going through a secondary inspection and having everything pulled out of my vehicle or trailer, and wasting a couple of hours ( or more)..... I also know how and where to complain if I really have some legitimate gripe about rudeness, etc.!
rockyptjoe
Guest
Russ...we could go around in circles on the issue....but I disagree that it is a "systemic problem"....I've been asked to step away from my vehicle when i got sent to secondary....I've also asked the agent if he wanted me to show him how to pull the seats off the jetskis (so that he wouldn't do any damage) when he was trying to look inside.......if I was doing that job, someone getting "petrified" would be a signal for me to investigate more....right or wrong... Some of us may think that they're just minimum wage types who couldn't hold a job at McD's, but there is profiling going on..... The issue about the cellphones and calls from the border has been discussed in other threads...we may not agree, but there are arguments for that.....I really don't know how I would handle it if I was told no calls....
And "manhandling"???...I wonder what your definition is....was she physically accosted?
Did you ever file any complaints? Or just write it off as a waste of time?
mexicoruss
Lovin it in RP!
The whole discussion is a waste of time. I dont trust them at all! You do - case closed!
rockyptjoe
Guest
I guess we can agree to disagree....
BTW....I get "mistreated" more every time I fly within the US than I've ever been crossing the border from mexico.....
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tmotsinger
Eating Newbie Gringo Taco
Well-said and well-reported, Russ. Thank you. Joe, I don't begrudge you one bit for suspecting I caused my own problems. Crossed the border off and on for 25 years or so myself without incident, and I'd have suspected the same 3 months ago as you do today.
I've crossed for years and years and have had more trouble in the last 3 years than in all of the years before that.
When they know who you are before you get the window rolled down, ask you how your kids are, (I'm a social worker) and do a 4 person inspection on you, one guy in my window asking me the same questions 10 different ways, one guy rifling thru the stuff in the passenger side floor, one guy with a dog,walking around the Jeep and a woman up on my hood, peering down the cowl with a flashlight....They know too much about us and I'm uncomfortable with that. But, the only solution is not to go and I can't do that....., I just answer the questions and be polite.
When they know who you are before you get the window rolled down, ask you how your kids are, (I'm a social worker) and do a 4 person inspection on you, one guy in my window asking me the same questions 10 different ways, one guy rifling thru the stuff in the passenger side floor, one guy with a dog,walking around the Jeep and a woman up on my hood, peering down the cowl with a flashlight....They know too much about us and I'm uncomfortable with that. But, the only solution is not to go and I can't do that....., I just answer the questions and be polite.