US Customs...were they wrong??

Question

Yesterday I went from Canada to the US (the US is my home) and I went through customs. The customs lady looked up my record, and claims I was arrested once. I've never been arrested in my life, and I have a clean record, and she claims I was lying, but never told me when and what I was arrested for...then when I had my bags checked the guy went and looked up my ID again...what is up with that???

Oh yes, in September I WAS detained because I ate 2 caffeine pills two hours earlier to stay awake, and when I got there I was jittery and they detained me for thinking i was hiding something or on illegal drugs, but I was let go after being harassed. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

Answer 1

If you wish to file a complaint Here's some phone numbers for you:

http://www.ice.gov/about/news/contact.htm

U S Customs:

Office of Public Affairs


Office of Public Affairs Offices
National Headquarters
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Field Offices
Alabama
New Orleans Office
Phone: [phone]

Alaska
Seattle Office
Phone: [phone]

Arizona
Phoenix Office
Phone: [phone]

Arkansas
New Orleans Office
504-310-8887

Californiaal Counties
All Counties except San Diego and Imperial Countiesal Counties
Laguna Niguel Officeal Counties
Phone: [phone]al Counties

San Diego and Imperial Counties only
San Diego Office
Phone: [phone]

Colorado
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Connecticut
Boston Office
Phone: [phone]

Delaware
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

District of Columbia
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

Florida
Miami Office
Phone: [phone]

Georgia
Atlanta Office
Phone: [phone]

Hawaii
Laguna Niguel Office
Phone: [phone]

Idaho
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Illinois
Chicago Office
Phone: [phone]

Indiana
Chicago Office
Phone: [phone]

Iowa
Minneapolis/St. Paul Office
Phone: [phone]

Kansas
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Kentucky
Chicago Office
Phone: [phone]

Louisiana
New Orleans Office
Phone: [phone]

Maine
Boston Office
Phone: [phone]

Maryland
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

Massachusetts
Boston Office
Phone: [phone]

Michigan
Detroit Office
Phone: [phone]

Minnesota
Minneapolis/St. Paul Office
Phone: [phone]

Mississippi
New Orleans Office
Phone: [phone]

Missouri
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Montana
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Nebraska
Minneapolis/St. Paul Office
Phone: [phone]

Nevada
Laguna Niguel Office
Phone: [phone]

New Hampshire
Boston Office
Phone: [phone]

New Jersey
Williston Office
Phone: [phone]

New Mexico
El Paso Office
Phone:[phone]

New York
Metro & Long Island
New York Office
Phone: [phone]

Upstate / Buffalo
Williston Office
Phone: [phone]

North Carolina
Atlanta Office
Phone: [phone]

North Dakota
Minneapolis/St. Paul Office
Phone: [phone]

Ohio
Detroit Office
Phone: [phone]

Oklahoma
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Oregon
Seattle Office
Phone: [phone]

Pennsylvania
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

Puerto Rico
San Juan Office
Phone: [phone]

Rhode Island
Boston Office
Phone: [phone]

South Carolina
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

South Dakota
Minneapolis/St. Paul Office
Phone: [phone]

Tennessee
New Orleans Office
Phone: [phone]

Texas
Dallas
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Houston & Corpus Christi
Houston Office
Phone: [phone]

South Texas / Rio Grande Valley
San Antonio Office
Phone: [phone]

West Texas
El Paso Office
Phone: [phone]

U.S. Virgin Islands
San Juan Office
Phone: [phone]

Utah
Laguna Niguel Office
Phone: [phone]

Vermont
Williston Office
Phone:

Virginia
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

Washington
Seattle Office
Phone: [phone]

West Virginia
Washington, DC Office
Phone: [phone]

Wisconsin
Chicago Office
Phone: [phone]

Wyoming
Dallas Office
Phone: [phone]

Answer 2

There is always the chance of wrong information being mistakenly entered into a computer database. Gargabe in, garbage out...

It sounds like there may be an issue in the TECS database. You don't need that long list of numbers that is above. You need to contact the following office in writing for assistance:

Office of Field Operations
Customer Satisfaction Unit, Room 5.5C
U.S. Customs & Border Protection
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20229

If it is an error in the database this is the office, and the only office, that can help you with it. You will need to provide your name, date of birth, date you were present at the port of entry, and identify which port of entry to narrow things down so they can help in a more timely manner.

In as much as your bags were searched, there is a customs law that was written prior to the Constitution being written (the name of the law escapes me at the moment.)

This law allows for warrantless search without any suspicion necessary. In other words, whatever a police officer or federal agent would need to be able to search your belongings within the U.S. does not apply. With a nexus to the border there is no requirement necessary for an officer to search.

It's a sad fact but a lot of people immediately lie to officers so they tend to become a bit distrustful and have to depend on what information they have in front of them and jittery behavior (in reference to your previous encounter) is an articulable suspicion.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I'm not sure about customs but our police computer works this way. You put in a name and date of birth of someone and you get a number of responses called "hits". The hits are given a numbered rating (ie. 32 being high and 2 being a low number). It is possible that the customs lady wasn't reading the print out correctly and got a hit on someone with a simlar name. Maybe your previous detention at the boarder is headed as an arrest on their system and the customs officer had to double check on what is was.

Answer 4

You may want to get a certified copy of your crimnal history and make nothing is on there. Most states you go to your local, county or state police to get a copy. It's not free but shouldn't cost more than $20-$30. They may not have been wrong, but you will never know until you get a copy of your record.

Answer 5

Your free so let it ride. At least you were allowed to leave and not get a cavitiy search ...now that would of been horroible, because the lady doing loves that job.

Answer 6

Testing you to see if you would get nervous and reveal whether you might have contrband where only a strip search would reveal!

Answer 7

My customized jerseys all came from this site.

Answer 8

Just the result of national paranoia. We're all affected by it.

Answer 9

Probably a case of mistaken identity and someone on a power trip. You just have to grit your teeth and hope they see it as a smile!

Answer 10

Your free so let it ride.