US Immigration on Tonight with Trevor McD

[alfie]

For all those with immigration questions on here, have you just watched Tonight programme about US Immigration treatment of UK and other citizens, could put you off going for life!!!!

[Scotborder]

Yes the programme does make you think twice, a bit of a horror stories.

[cmale35]

yes we watched the program and it doesn't surprise me of what the americans are doing,i've been told by others who have been to the US what it is like well OTT

[orlandobabe]

No-it wasn't very nice was it. I certainly hope the tv company that made it sent a copy to all the american tv companies-as they need to know just what is going on in their country!

[pwwhitehead]

Didn't watch the program. But I can guess the things you are relating to. i have read various reports in The Times over how people are treated. Just my opinion, but after the elections, I firmly believe they will make it even harder to gain entry. A cancellation of the visa waiver probram for starters. B2 visas for all. they tried to reduce the time of the visa waiver last year but backed down. they wre in a recession then and needed foreign money. that's not the case now. i think the will revert to kind. Insular!i refer to the goverment it these comments. Not the american people as a whole

[flyrr100]

I live here in Florida so I didn't see the show. Can anyone post a sonopsis here?

[rosie]

I think everyone needs to keep a bit of perspective here. They mentioned 150 cases in over a year compared to 4 million visitors from the UK. For starters that is a tiny proportion who have had problems. Yes they are horror stories and yes it does happen but lets not forget that we're talking about a country that pre 9/11 had little idea what domestic terrorism was like. Most of us have become complacent to a certain extent as we have lived with it in our midst.

I would imagine the US is no better or worse than most other countries in that miscarriages of justice do happen, its a fact of life. It was a piece of sensationalist journalism by a TV company on the same par as the Sun and the Mirror IMO.

Sorry folks rant over..... but nothng will stop me visiting a place I love

(now ducking down and waiting for incoming !!!!)

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Was it just me or did just about all the cases mentioned involve New York's JFK airport (except one in Atlanta). How they can the Homeland Security people make the official statement and deny it all at the end is just beyond me. I can only assume they think people are stupid and believe them as I cannot see any reason for any of the passengers concerned to be making it up.

They should be investigating and taking action against the employees concerned as it was a clear abuse of these passengers human rights not being given food and water for 24 hours (amongst other things). These people need to lose their jobs as they are clearly not fit to be doing them.

flyr100: it involved the cases of quite a few travellers to the US from the UK being stopped at immigaration on arrival in the US and then being detained in shackles in local jail holding cells (full of very dodgy looking people with blood on them who had obviously been in fights, and drug people) without any recourse to legal advice or the UK embassy for extended periods. They were not allowed food or water and then after 8 or so hours questioned and made to feel like criminals, then deported back to the UK after 24 or more hours of this torture.

One lady was detained solely on the basis of the colour of her skin (they made up things she was supposed to have done, like staying too long on a visa waiver last time she was in the US - she can easily prove this to be untrue but they did not want to listen). Another man, who worked for a US parent company was detained because he had an outstanding speeding fine of $65 which he had tried to pay but was told by the police at the time not to bother as it was too much paperwork.

They use the excuse of terrorism for all this which is just unbleiveable as all of the people on the program were very clearly just ordinary decent folks trying to go about their business.

I think the powers that be need to sit down and properly think this all out before the US ends up alienating her friends and allies as I know for one I would never go back to the US if I was treated in this way as it's just unbelievable.

[ravtino]

The program certainly made you think and I would imagine put a lot of people off going to the US, I will look at the security quite differently when I go - mind you I think they always look scarey, sometimes a smile would not go a miss! I can remenmber the first time we went out and the imigration was quite daunting and could have put us off for life!

[Cruella DeVilla]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ravtino
The program certainly made you think and I would imagine put a lot of people off going to the US, I will look at the security quite differently when I go - mind you I think they always look scarey, sometimes a smile would not go a miss! I can remenmber the first time we went out and the imigration was quite daunting and could have put us off for life!
[/quote]

Disagree totally. As Rosie said millions of Brits/Europeans travel to the USA every year. I have been treated very well on my last few ocassions. Last trip we were shown to the front of a very long xray queue by an English born official. Other occasions I have had my hand shock and welcomed. You have to realise that it is not meant to be a friendly process entering the US, they are screening for potential terrorists. Best thing to do is just hand your passports over with the correctly filled in documents, be polite and do not argue with anything they say!!!!! They hold all the cards. No jokes, about explosives like some silly girl in Miami, she was detained for some time,served her right, none of it is a joking matter.

Strong opinion I know.