What do I do if the Icelandic volcano delays my departure from the US?

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency and USCIS have both issued guidance for people who cannot leave the US because of travel restrictions, and who might therefore overstay their I-94s.  The CBP guidance is here and reproduced below. The USCIS update is here.

"If you or someone you know is stranded in the United States because of the airport closures in Europe due to the Icelandic volcano eruption and is about to exceed their authorized stay as a direct result of these closures, there are two avenues for relief:

If the traveler is at the airport and traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and unable to depart timely, as a result of airport closures or flight delays/cancellations, travelers should:

1. Contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office at the airport or;
2. Contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office.

Both agencies have provided staff with guidance on the applicable legal authorities under the VWP in circumstances such as these.

If persons are traveling under a visa, they should contact the nearest USCIS office and follow the instructions at the following link: (USCIS - Extend My Stay)

While this link recommends initiating the process 45 days in advance, USCIS is providing guidance on how to handle these cases over this weekend.

Travelers should continue to contact their airline for information about flight schedules, delays and cancellations. If airlines have questions about the situation, they can contact their Regional Carrier Liaison Group (RCLG). The Miami RCLG can be reached at (305) 874-5444."

CBP Tips for Easy Travel to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games - CBP.gov

CBP Offers Tips for Easy Travel for Travelers Going to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games - CBP.gov

Photo by : http://www.flickr.com/photos/iwona_kellie/1218908771/

CBP prepares for cross-border football fans

Are you a fan of the Buffalo Bills or New York Jets and traveling to the game in Toronto on Thursday, 12/3?  If so, the US Customs and Border Protection agency has travel advice for you here.  CBP advises travelers to  check traffic conditions at the four border crossings within the Buffalo/Niagara region, and select the crossing that is least congested. Travelers can easily obtain current border traffic conditions by calling the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission’s toll free number at 1-800-715-6722 or by visiting various web sites listed by CBP.

Travelers should prepare for the inspection process before arriving at the inspection booth. Individuals should have their crossing documents available for inspection and they should be prepared to declare all items acquired outside the U.S. In compliance with full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which commenced June 1, all travelers, including U.S. and Canadian citizens, will need to present documentary proof of citizenship.

These documents include a Passport, U.S. Passport Card, trusted traveler card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST) or an Enhanced Drivers License. Children under the age of 16 can present an original or copy of their birth certificate. CBP will remain practical and flexible in its approach to full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and will continue to educate and inform the traveling public. Please visit the WHTI Web site for additional information. (GetYouHome.gov)

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronalmog/

Did Chicago lose the Olympics because of immigration issues?

A New York Times article suggests that Chicago failed in its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics because of tough immigration procedures at airports. The paper reports that

Among the toughest questions posed to the Chicago bid team this week in Copenhagen was one that raised the issue of what kind of welcome foreigners would get from airport officials when they arrived in this country to attend the Games. Syed Shahid Ali, an I.O.C. member from Pakistan, in the question-and-answer session following Chicago’s official presentation, pointed out that entering the United States can be “a rather harrowing experience.”

The article remarks on how US immigration officials at airports can be extremely difficult and unpleasant, even deterring people from visiting the US. The readers' comments that follow the article are especially interesting. I just scanned the first 50 comments, and almost every one was from a traveler, including US citizens, who hated US customs and border checkpoint.

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexbarlow/207880054/

How to complain about immigration treatment at airports and borders

The US Customs and Border Protection is the division of the Department of Homeland Security that inspects travelers on entry to the US. The agency now has four primary programs in place to address and respond to customer complaints and compliments. These programs are:

1. Passenger Service Representatives (or Passenger Service Manager)
2. Comment Cards
2. Customer Service Center, and
4. a program where port directors and supervisors personally respond to telephone and verbal complaints.

More details about the programs are here.

1. Passenger Service Manager (PSM).

In March 2009, CBP introduced 20 PSMs at international airports around the US, listed here. According to the CBP website,

PSMs will provide training to managers and supervisors on customer service issues, they will collect and analyze reports concerning professionalism, and they will promote public awareness of the CBP mission through distribution of public information bulletins, brochures and comment cards; and oversee issues related to travelers requiring special processing.

2. Comment Cards.

CBP is supposed to provide comment cards to all travelers entering the US who have been referred to secondary inspection. CBP says that it will contact everyone who completed a comment card to address concerns, however it is unclear if this happens, or even if comment cards are being given out.

3. Customer Service Center.

CBP's website describes this as their

single point-of-contact for reviewing, responding to, tracking, and addressing all customer complaints and compliments relating to CBP interaction with the general public, travelers, industry, Congress, and other government entities.

CPB explains how to make a complaint here, but it is very cumbersome, especially for people who are not familiar with online procedures.

4. Port Director and Supervisor Response.

Complains about a passenger's treatment at a port of entry or border are supposed to be resolved within one business day by the relevant Port Director or Supervisor. For contact information, see here

CBP issues Fact Sheet on Automatic Visa Revalidation

The US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) recently published a fact sheet about automatic visa revalidation. This revalidation allows a nonimmigrant to travel to Canada or Mexico for less than 30 days, and return using an expired visa if the foreign national also has an unexpired I-94. The provision applies to people who are returning in a different status to that on their visa, as well as to people who have had their initial status extended. For example, a person can return from a short trip to Canada with an expired L-1 visa stamp and an L-1 extension approval notice with an unexpired I-94. Another example would be a person returning from a short trip to Mexico, and using an expired F-1 visa stamp and a change of status H-1B approval notice to enter.

The revalidation provision does NOT apply if the foreign national:

• has applied for a visa while on that trip to Canada or Mexico;
• is from Iran, Syria, Sudan or Cuba; or
• entered under the Visa Waiver Program.

CBP recommends that people who intend to use Automatic Visa Revalidation bring a copy of the fact sheet with them when they travel.

Another US citizen with repeated problems returning to the US

Last Friday I blogged about a travel writer's experience in requesting his travel files from the USA government. I also referred to the problems that many people encounter when returning to the US, because they are incorrectly listed on the US government's "watch lists", or they have names similar to those on the lists. Coincidentally, there was another article on this issue in yesterday's Dallas Morning News, reprinted from The Washington Post. Juan Fernando Gomez is a director in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region for Chemonics, a Washington-based international development consulting firm. He describes his feelings thus:

I call it the little room. In most cases it's actually not that small, but my claustrophobia seems to kick in as soon as the immigration officer separates me from the other passengers on my flight and escorts me through a door into my own private travel hell.....

.......The real terror begins when my toes touch the yellow line, where I wait to be called forward. Approaching the immigration officer before being summoned could make me appear too eager (and often earns me a stern reprimand). On the other hand, any hesitation could be interpreted as a sign that I'm afraid of facing the law. So I walk up to the officer and nonchalantly hand over my bright blue passport. Seconds feel like hours as he starts hitting the "page down" key on his computer, scanning screen after screen, periodically glancing at me and my passport. This is when I break out in a cold sweat, which makes the officer even more dubious. When he reaches for a yellow highlighter and marks my customs slip, I know I'm headed to the little room.

Mr. Gomez describes the delays and security checks that he must endure every time he enters the US. He understand why, to a degree:

My name is common in Latin America, the Spanish equivalent of John Smith. It also seems to be particularly popular among law-breakers. I once sneaked a peek at an immigration officer's computer and saw an entire screen full of my doppelgangers. Who knows how many of them were bad guys and how many were law-abiding saps like me?

It doesn't help that my travel habits are similar to those of people who actually belong on a watch list. I grew up in Medellín, Colombia, during the height of the Pablo Escobar drug wars and have worked for the better part of the past decade in some of the most dangerous places in the world. In countries such as Afghanistan and Colombia, I help farmers find legal, profitable and sustainable alternatives to growing coca and poppies, the raw material for cocaine and heroin. So I guess it's understandable that my passport -- packed with added pages and stamps marking my entry into and exit from countries such as Cambodia, Bolivia and Haiti -- raises eyebrows.

I realize that DHS needs to screen passengers, but does it really need to detain US citizens repeatedly?

For the full text of the article, click on the headline above.

Homeland Security reality TV show. Seriously.

My jaw dropped last night when I saw an ad on TV for a new ABC reality show: "Homeland Security USA." The show starting in January, and will focus mostly on the work of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). It will also show other agencies, including the other immigration agencies.

The first episode, called "This Is Your Car on Drugs," will highlight the work of CBP at LAX Airport, a Blaine, Wash. U.S.-Canada border crossing, a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border near Tucson, Ariz. and another border crossing at San Ysidro, Calif. It also will highlight an incident involving barbecued bats at the International Mail Center in Carson, Calif. Yeuch.

"It’s kind of a combination of the two most popular shows on TV, 'Cops' and '24,'" said David Heyman, director and senior fellow of the Homeland Security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2008/12/homeland_security_gets_primeti.html?hpid=news-col-blog

This I have to watch........