Question about foreign travel by US citizens

[Stinky The Clown]

Has anyone encountered problems coming back home?

I used to travel a lot but since retiring a few years ago, I have gone once to Toronto and that's it. I need to do some personal travel to Western Europe this summer. Ids there any nuttiness getting back in?

The friends I am meeting (one each from Germany, UK, and Canada) have said they're not coming to the US.

[cally]

1. Not that I heard of

I just got Global Entry to reduce my anxiety. My in person interview took maybe 3 minutes but I am a senior white woman. I do recognize my privilege. I was very anxious heading into interview but it was simple.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. What was the Global Entry application/issuance process?

[leftieNanner]

7. You apply online

Pay a fee. Around $100. Then you wait to be approved via email. Then you can schedule your interview. Usually at a large airport. You can also be interviewed when you return from overseas at the airport.

We are going to Europe in May. Couldn't schedule our interview before we left, so we will do it when we fly home.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Thank you!

[cally]

13. It's an online application with basic stuff.

But!! You have an in person appointment which takes a while to get and may not be close to you. I know you can interview when you arrive but I wanted it done!

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Were you able, in the end, to get it done before you traveled?

[cally]

16. Yes. But it depends where you live

NYC appointments available but San Francisco were months a way.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. We have our choice between BWI and Dulles

Both are busy international gateways

[cally]

21. Check website for appointments

may have many there

[MurrayDelph]

18. We got ours two years ago

There was a six-month wait for processing in Portland OR, but we go down to LA frequently, so I booked appointments there for when we would have been down there the following month anyway.

We've used it to drive back into the States from Canada many times, most-recently six weeks ago when we went to get Canada hats and shirts before going to Tokyo. We'll see in a week (when the cruise ship docks in Alaska) and 2.5 weeks (when we fly back from Vancouver to Portland).

[hlthe2b]

2. Anecdotal accounts, but our DFW has said he experienced no issues recently...

And, I don't know how accurate the anecdotes are beyond the well-established accounts from MSM...But, I would sure as hell do my homework including how to travel with a burner phone or scrape my phone of any traces of content that could be "gleaned" and probably travel with my contacts list in an encrypted app on a nearly blank iPad or printed out in tiny font and hidden in a shoe, carry-on luggage lining or something of that nature. Sounds really paranoid, but...

And, I would have numbers for ACLU in multiple states as well as your personal lawyer (and if they can provide, an emergency name of a well-versed immigration lawyer--even though obviously you are a citizen). In Colorado, the local ACLU has an app (probably elsewhere too) where you can be filming video that automatically downloads to a direct online website that precludes TSA or Customs/Border Control or others from deleting.

Ironically, my parents were in Iran with a western company before the Shah was deposed and as a young teen, my sister and I were warned constantly of all the things we were never to do for fear of someone overhearing us or other reprisals. That included jokes about the Shah or the country (we'd never even think about making impolite comments about the people, nor Muslims, nor anything similar, so I won't even mention that). We were told not to even write the name of the Shah or any other official on a postcard going out and certainly not to joke about drugs or anything similar. This was 1978 or so and my sister and I traveled back and forth several times--always happy to be going, but very paranoid as well. Teen children of other US workers had been detained and deported for any number of things (probably mostly drugs) but the message was sent. Neither of us relaxed until we were back in the US .

I now feel like we are living in Iran of that era. And that was before the time of cell phones and laptop computers. Yikes...

[msfiddlestix]

17. This is largely what I had been anticipating and freaking out about before the election.

the crime syndicate which existed before the election even began campaigning mode was allowed to be free to hold this office despite all his crimin' back then. I

This the reality I was told I needed to accept.
How in the hell did we let this happen? I keep asking this question, but the answer was always right there. Good People Let it happen. Keeping to the rule of law they said, the wheels of justice grind slowly and blah blah blah blah.
But here we are, not so very hard to predict, and we're only 90 days in is it?
All cuz we didn't have strong leadership and citizens who could see it coming or cared enough in our camp.
I'm really glad my granddaughters have now obtained dual citizenship with Holland, which I hope will manage to stay strong against fascism and white supremacy. xfingers is all I'm able to do.

I did get my first passport recently. I have never heard of this global passport visa thing. I need to look into that.

[lapfog_1]

3. prepare to have your phone searched upon return

when I travel next I will have passport, real ID, pre clearance from TSA... and a burner phone with just enough on it to be plausible it is not a burner ( few months of personal contacts, chats, etc )

I suspect by the time I travel... they will be searching the phones of some citizens... and I might even request asylum in one of the EU countries and not return.

[Quakerfriend]

5. You are doing the right thing! My youngest son (28)

with Latin last name is traveling over seas right now-
Japan, China, Thailand & Vietnam, before returning to US in late May & I have encouraged him to get a burner phone.

A democrat with Latin name- anything could happen!

[pcdb]

10. That sounds a bit paranoid

I got back a few days ago. You wait in line for a long time to get to the immigration counter. They then take your photo which compares biometrics with your passport, then send you on to the baggage claim where you'll do more waiting. No need for a burner phone.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

4. No issues that i have heard from family and acquaintances who have traveled recently

I have not yet traveled internationally this year so no personal experience. But I know a bunch who have and none have mentioned any issues. All have Global Entry though.

[Solomon]

8. I'm supposed to go to Berlin in july but I don't think I want to risk it being a black american having freely

spoken my mind here on DU. Don't want to be mistaked to El Salvador.

[Meowmee]

11. Probably a good idea to use a burner phone just in case

Many years ago my brother was harassed coming back from Germany. These people are very arrogant and have too much power in most countries. He and my mother were coming back together.

For some reason they sent my brother off to be interrogated( he and my mother were not yet US citizens then and were going through the foreign line). The man told him it was illegal for him to work in Germany! He was a post doc then and it was not illegal. Then he started asking him about his US taxes, had he paid them etc. My brother told him he had to pay taxes in Germany then not the US. The man also said that my brother's green card status was going to be in jeopardy. My brother said no it was not, he had been living in the US since he was a child etc.

Finally the jackass let him go and admitted he had done nothing wrong, I can't remember the exact words. He should have made a complaint but never did. That was over 40 years ago!

Not long after that he and my mom became US citizens. I was the first and had done it with a friend a couple of years before that.

So, although you are a citizen, I assume, I do recommend being cautious with all of the crap going on now.

[Mariana]

12. I'll give you an update Wednesday.

My husband and I are in the UK visiting family. We’ll be flying to Boston on Wednesday. He’s a naturalized citizen with an obvious accent, so anyone who hears him speak knows he’s an immigrant. I’ll let you know how it goes at Logan.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Thanks! Keep me posted!!

[Mariana]

22. We didn't have any trouble.

I didn’t see anyone else getting hassled either. Most of the people on our flight were US citizens.

[tinrobot]

19. Went to Canada last month, no issues on return