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POE problems

POE problems

Old Apr 17th 2009, 7:50 pm
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Default POE problems

I was wondering if anyone experiences or has experienced the same as me. Basically, I went back to the UK last month and on my way back in to the US I had to do the fingerprint stuff for the first time. The fact that GC holders now can no longer go through the citizen line is annoying enough when trying to make the connecting flight, but to my amazement after doing all the fingerprint stuff and the officer seeing my GC, passport etc I was asked to go to the secondary inspection place.

Yes I do know that only US citizens are truly free to come and go without hassle, but the guy at the front only asked me how long I was gone from the country, to which I answered 10 days. What is the point of doing all the security checks, fingerprinting for the GC when at the POE they can't manage to use their technology to see that my GC is a valid one?

Once in the secondary inspection I sat down for a few minutes before being called to the front desk. The officer asked me the exact same damn question and that was it. Now, can anyone explain what this was really for if they're just going to ask the same damn question??!!

I do have a visa in my passport from when I was studying here. Does anyone think this may confuse the neanderthals on the front desk?

I will be applying for citizenship next year and will be looking forward to the end of this.

Rant over
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:13 pm
  #2  
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Default Re: POE problems

Which airport was this?

Has your visa got a line through it with CWOP written on it?
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:20 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
I was wondering if anyone experiences or has experienced the same as me. Basically, I went back to the UK last month and on my way back in to the US I had to do the fingerprint stuff for the first time. The fact that GC holders now can no longer go through the citizen line is annoying enough when trying to make the connecting flight, but to my amazement after doing all the fingerprint stuff and the officer seeing my GC, passport etc I was asked to go to the secondary inspection place.

Yes I do know that only US citizens are truly free to come and go without hassle, but the guy at the front only asked me how long I was gone from the country, to which I answered 10 days. What is the point of doing all the security checks, fingerprinting for the GC when at the POE they can't manage to use their technology to see that my GC is a valid one?

Once in the secondary inspection I sat down for a few minutes before being called to the front desk. The officer asked me the exact same damn question and that was it. Now, can anyone explain what this was really for if they're just going to ask the same damn question??!!

I do have a visa in my passport from when I was studying here. Does anyone think this may confuse the neanderthals on the front desk?

I will be applying for citizenship next year and will be looking forward to the end of this.

Rant over
Who says it will stop when you become a citizen?

It's not always clear why someone is sent to secondary and they often won't tell you why.

Even with a valid green card, there could have been other issues/concerns that required research.

If they have a question about something, they won't bog down the line to figure it out. That's what secondary is for.

You could share a name with a violator and they may have needed time to clear that up. They could have wanted to check out an old brush you had with the law to see if there were immigration consequences. You could have been randomly selected. It could have been anything.
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:25 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

I came in at Chicago airport. There is nothing written on the visa, it was a student visa and obviously does not matter now I am a permanent resident. You also think that it may be this causing me a problem though?

If there was some other issue why was I just asked the same ridiculous question? No brush with the law ever, but I do feel like I am being deliberately targeted.
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:33 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
I came in at Chicago airport. There is nothing written on the visa, it was a student visa and obviously does not matter now I am a permanent resident. You also think that it may be this causing me a problem though?

If there was some other issue why was I just asked the same ridiculous question? No brush with the law ever, but I do feel like I am being deliberately targeted.
The period of time an LPR has been out os the US is closely monitored to determine if they are maintaining their status as required or have abandoned it so it's not surprising that they asked that question.

I wonder if the student tracking system isn't aware that you obtained a green card....
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:39 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

I wonder if the student tracking system isn't aware that you obtained a green card....

Good point. I wonder if there is some way I can check that. Yeah, I do realize they need to question how long I have bee out, but the same question by 2 people? Anyways, cheers for that comment as it seems very plausible with the way bureaucracy works.
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 8:49 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

You'd hope that they updated it after seeing you. If it becomes a problem, you could always make an inquiry at:

www.dhs.gov/trip
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Thanks very much for that link.
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 10:37 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
No brush with the law ever, but I do feel like I am being deliberately targeted.
Why do you think you're being deliberately targeted?
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Old Apr 17th 2009, 11:03 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by meauxna
Why do you think you're being deliberately targeted?
The voices told him so!
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Old Apr 18th 2009, 3:24 am
  #11  
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
Yeah, I do realize they need to question how long I have bee out, but the same question by 2 people?
This makes perfect sense. if you gave 2 different answers when asked the same question twice, then this would have been a reason to investigate you further. It is quite common for people to forget any untruths that they may have been asked just 5 minutes ago by an officious person.
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Old Apr 20th 2009, 7:12 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
I was wondering if anyone experiences or has experienced the same as me. Basically, I went back to the UK last month and on my way back in to the US I had to do the fingerprint stuff for the first time. The fact that GC holders now can no longer go through the citizen line is annoying enough when trying to make the connecting flight, but to my amazement after doing all the fingerprint stuff and the officer seeing my GC, passport etc I was asked to go to the secondary inspection place.
There is no "fact" to that effect. The new fingerprinting provisions do not affect the configuration of the Citizen/Permanent Resident lanes. Of course if individual airports want to change that they can do so, but they could do so anyway.
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Old Apr 20th 2009, 7:21 pm
  #13  
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Default Re: POE problems

Of course, there is also the possibility it has nothing to do with you or your greencard - could be as simple as they've been told to send x amount of people to secondary that day. Sometimes these things happen.
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Old Apr 20th 2009, 7:26 pm
  #14  
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Default Re: POE problems

Yeah, then I would have to believe that I could be involved in so many 'random' checks as I have been...

Usually my experience that people that say stuff like "these things happen", never actually have it happen.
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Old Apr 20th 2009, 7:43 pm
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Default Re: POE problems

Originally Posted by britoverseas
Yeah, then I would have to believe that I could be involved in so many 'random' checks as I have been...

Usually my experience that people that say stuff like "these things happen", never actually have it happen.
hey...steady on...there is nothing in any of your posts on this thread to say that you've been invloved in a lot of "random" checks...no need to bite Dan's head off...maybe you could regurgitate it ?
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