Homeland Security USA

[Steven]

Are you all watching this on ABC?

They mistakenly arrested some guy and his family at San Ysidro at gunpoint because his name matched some wanted murderer, and his wife gets dragged into secondary inspection yelling: "you do this every time we cross the border!" Hmm.

[Reba]

I haven't watched it no.

Last year (actually, year before last now...) hubby and I went to Dragon Con in Atlanta, and one of the SciFi author/presenters at one of the events said he and his wife have to drive everywhere they go, and cannot travel internationally anymore beause his wife's name is on the No Fly list. Its not HER, but same name as her's. So they don't go to Cons on the west coast. Takes too long to get there.

[SarniaGrl]

Finally caught it online. It was okay, I recognized a face from Detroit, lol, good to see they finally updated the office there. I didn't see the part you described, Steve, but was suprised at the part where the guy from Tennessee came through the Ambassador Bridge with a skull and firearms he didn't initially declare. The other one that got me was the guy from WA trying to enter Canada with a racketeering conviction, his companion even acknowledged Canada's effort to keep the 'bad' people out.

I don't know, in the show they looked far more lenient (at least with U.S. citizens) than they come across in reality, maybe it was just selective editing.

It'll be interesting to see another episode.

[Steven]

That was the second episode, I was talking about the first one.

[CalGreenCard]

...one of the SciFi author/presenters at one of the events said he and his wife have to drive everywhere they go, and cannot travel internationally anymore beause his wife's name is on the No Fly list...

Not directly relevant to Canadians but just something I'm curious about--has anyone ever been unable to leave the USA because of the non-fly list? I'm talking about someone from outside North America who has a valid nonimmigrant visa for the USA. During their stay in the USA, a similar name (not them) gets added to the no-fly list. When they go to leave the USA (before their valid nonimmigrant status expires) they aren't allowed on the plane because of the no-fly list--and for whatever reason they don't qualify for a Canadian or Mexican visa, so can't leave by land.

Does that kind of situation ever arise?

[Reba]

I haven't heard of any, but it really wouldn't surprise me if it did.

[Steven]

Does that kind of situation ever arise?

I'm not sure if it's ever happened but I know what CBP would do because of similar situations I can think of, they'd put you in detention until they figured out how to remove you from the country. Happens with people who get denied entry and can't afford a return plane ticket, they stick you in detention until one of your relatives coughs up for the plane ticket.

I'm not sure if they ever resolved it but there were tons of Cubans held in detention at one point, Cuba wouldn't take them back and the US wouldn't let them in so they just rotted in detention. I remember the State Dept. decided to let so many thousands in per year eventually but I'm not sure if they ever fully resolved it. They don't like to let them in en masse because of what happened with the Marial boat lift and because Castro uses it as a diplomatic weapon.