Sunset Limited along the International Border

[leemell]

A couple of years ago I was getting off the Wolverine in Dearborn Mich. The border patrol (ICE) was asking all detraining passengers where they were born. My exact response was "None of your business, what is this, North Korea". I walked past them without slowing down. They followed me most of the way to my car shouting "SIR, SIR" but they gave up when I got to my car ,and they walked away. They couldn't kick me off the train, I was already off the train.

Consider yourself lucky. ICE can detain you until they are satisfied about your citizenship status. They have that authority anywhere within 100 miles of the US border.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Not always true. On one occasion while we were living in Taiwan a friend of ours was going to come to the US with us. She was rejected for a visa on the grounds that her English was too good, she was single and could not prove that she did not intend to become an illegal immigrant. (How can you prove you are not going to do something?) By the way, the visa application fee is non-refundable, and it ain't cheap.

This happens in US consulates in India way too often. In fact about couple years ago, they had an almost blanket policy denying tourist visa to any unmarried female between the age of 18-25 wanting to travel with their parents, citing "insufficient evidence on non-immigrant intent", apparently because someone concluded that all Indian girls aged 18-25 going to the US with their parents is doing so to get married to a US citizen and settle there. No less than three different families I know faced this same exact situation.. the parents get tourist visa, but the girl is denied. Funnily, if the girl applied a second time alone, the tourist visa used to be granted. Great way of extracting the visa fee twice.