- Thread starter SKing
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Just Curious...what do you do in this situation?
Happened to me too ....pretty extreme... My daughter 16 at the time /5'10. /(mixed)/medium complexion, although after 2 weeks in the sun gets pretty dark.
they actually separated us at customs/drilled us/they didn't believe I was her mom" It's not possible" ummm yeah it is!! how is she so dark and you so young?? This wasn't the first time we got separated, happened once in the us as well!!
they drilled her on everything...mostly questions about her father,why when,where, how? it was crazy!!Thennnnnnn......they did like a full body search on me!!! I was like...yeah can that guy over there do the search!! (pointed at a cute customs guard).
I wasn't offended...I was ready to go home!
they actually separated us at customs/drilled us/they didn't believe I was her mom" It's not possible" ummm yeah it is!! how is she so dark and you so young?? This wasn't the first time we got separated, happened once in the us as well!!
they drilled her on everything...mostly questions about her father,why when,where, how? it was crazy!!Thennnnnnn......they did like a full body search on me!!! I was like...yeah can that guy over there do the search!! (pointed at a cute customs guard).
I wasn't offended...I was ready to go home!
Anyone who says racial profiling is illegal in the US is a dreamer - what about the "welcoming committee" of 4 or 5 ICE agents immediately outside the jetway, greeting everyone debarking all flights from the DR to the Miami airport, and grilling them, and then pulling aside any solo dominicana-looking females who look under 30 years old aside for "secondary screening" BEFORE they get to Immigration there? When they ask me what I was doing in the DR, I always respond "I LIVE THERE", and they let me go right away.
Same at US Immigration - when they go through my passport and look at all of the DR stamps, and comment "you sure go to the DR a lot", I respond either "I live there" or, "nobody has outlawed travel YET", and they get rid of me quickly.
As far as carrying a lot of Dominican coffee back in your luggage, be aware that coffee is a drug smugglers tool to mask the scent of drugs in luggage, thinking it will throw off the dogs in inspection. If i carry coffee, I try to limit it to 2 or 3 bags, and always in my carry-on bag rather than my checked bags. At least then, I can watch them go through my stuff, instead of behind the scenes, where they might decide to filch something else, after not finding drugs.
Same at US Immigration - when they go through my passport and look at all of the DR stamps, and comment "you sure go to the DR a lot", I respond either "I live there" or, "nobody has outlawed travel YET", and they get rid of me quickly.
As far as carrying a lot of Dominican coffee back in your luggage, be aware that coffee is a drug smugglers tool to mask the scent of drugs in luggage, thinking it will throw off the dogs in inspection. If i carry coffee, I try to limit it to 2 or 3 bags, and always in my carry-on bag rather than my checked bags. At least then, I can watch them go through my stuff, instead of behind the scenes, where they might decide to filch something else, after not finding drugs.
aranoid:I guess they have to do what they have to do. I will definitely not be speaking any more spanish at the airport, I will continue to be polite and calm. Still it is an unnerving situation, I kept thinking on the plane "what would I have done if they kept me?".
I feel better now but believe me, I will be better prepared for that type of situation.
When I move (in Aug) I will be returning to the US every 6 weeks to work for 7 days so I know that by Christmas they will be suspicious of all of the stamps on my passport.
I will be ready for it....
I feel better now but believe me, I will be better prepared for that type of situation.
When I move (in Aug) I will be returning to the US every 6 weeks to work for 7 days so I know that by Christmas they will be suspicious of all of the stamps on my passport.
I will be ready for it....
It's happened to me numerous times here. Part of my problem was that my passport picture was taken when I had "extra weight" from a brain tumor. They look at it and then me, back and forth and usually request ANOTHER FORM OF ID. Here I thought I passport was the ultimate form of ID. When I went back one time to the US I had a new Driver's License photo taken (there was about 80lbs difference between the old one and new and the passport looks more like the old one) and that REALLY helped so bring all those IDs you mentioned. Once we received our DR cedulas & residency stuff, things were MUCH easier. My cedula photo looks like me here. It is amazing how much easier many things are for a very gringa-looking woman when you produce one of those little cards.
At one point I actually started carrying my birth certificate around with me.
Good luck next time--and hospital IDs DO help (mine, plus my university faculty ID helped when in doubt even though they are OLDER than the passport.)
At one point I actually started carrying my birth certificate around with me.
Good luck next time--and hospital IDs DO help (mine, plus my university faculty ID helped when in doubt even though they are OLDER than the passport.)