• Pommes_für_dein_Balg@feddit.org
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    20 hours ago

    When I entered the US to spend a year there as a foreign exchange student, the border official treated me like I’m a violent criminal and he had to find out which crime I’ll commit.
    I also had to fill out a form promising I wasn’t a member of the German Nazi party during WW2.
    This was in 2000 and I was 16 at the time.
    But maybe, if I had checked “yes”, I would have been hired to lead NASA.

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      1 day ago

      I’m American, when I first entered Canada the border guard was stunningly handsome and super nice.

      On the way back the American dude was an absolute dick, and I’m a citizen so I can only imagine what a foreigner may face.

      • ContriteErudite@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        I had the same experience on a trip to Europe. All of the European customs officials were happy, kind, and welcoming, all while still doing their job. When I came back to the states, the customs official was dressed in all black, sidearm clearly visible, and he was mean-mugging and being condescending the entire time. When he asked if I had bought anything while I was overseas, I said yes, and he just stared at me. For 10 to 15 seconds at least. I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to say something, produce receipts, stop resisting? Eventually he huffed loudly and angrily asked if I had spent more than $10k; no, I did not.

        He stamped the things he needed stamp hard enough to shake his little kiosk and gruffly growled for me to move on. If a citizen gets treated like that, I don’t want to know what a non-citizen has to go through.

        • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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          7 hours ago

          Yeah he asked if I brought anything. I said “yeah some souven-” “NO DID YOU BRING ANY DRUGS OR WEAPONS!”

      • Railing5132@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I’ve had that same experience a dozen times. I don’t remember if they were all ‘stunningly handsome’, but they were all very friendly and professional.

    • stormeuh@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      This kind of border agent is why I won’t be travelling to the US anytime soon. If this person was that bad in 2000, imagine what they’re like with the power to send you to a concentration camp if you look at them the wrong way.

      • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        US border agents aren’t discriminating when it comes to being dicks though. Citizens get treated like shit too.

    • NABDad@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Little did you know, if you said yes, they would have given you a job in the government.