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Rude US Customs Officials: How Not To Welcome People To The United States
Some people should not be allowed to wear a uniform.While flying from Spain to the U.S. to attend the Gadling annual team summit, I touched down first at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. I got into line at U.S. Customs to enter the country.
The line was in a huge room with a row of bulletproof glass booths manned by U.S. Customs & Border Protection officials checking passports and visas. These booths blocked entrance to the baggage claim area and, officially, the United States. The line for U.S. citizens and Green Card holders was long but moving steadily thanks to several booths being open and the generally efficient work of the U.S. Customs folks manning them.
The line for foreigners was a different story. Only one booth was open and the line was practically at a standstill. There was a bit of grumbling in various languages but no loud complaining. Everyone just stood there looking jetlagged while watching a big flat screen TV hanging over the booths.
It was playing a promotional video about all the things to see in the United States. Images of the Grand Canyon, Alamo, Yosemite and other great attractions flickered across the screen, interspersed with a diversity of smiling Americans saying, "Welcome."
As I waited my turn, one woman in her early twenties who looked like she was from Southeast Asia walked up to the head of the foreigners' line where an airport worker stood.
"Excuse me," the Asian woman said with a heavy accent, holding out her ticket, "I will be late for flight."
"There's nothing I can do," the worker said, waving her off. "Get back in line."
"But the flight--"
"Wait in line!"
The Asian woman quickly retreated, looking at her watch.
I was about to shrug this off as Case #4,589,513 of Airport Rudeness when the tale took a turn for the worse. After a couple of minutes, the airport worker called over a U.S. Customs officer. I hesitate to describe him because you might think I'm exaggerating, but believe me when I say he was short, with a big paunch and black, greased back hair. His face was also greasy and over a poorly trimmed mustache he had a big, pockmarked nose – a boozer's nose, a Bukowski nose.
The airport official said something to him and pointed at the Asian woman. The passenger looked over hopefully. The officer summoned her by jutting his chin in her direction.
The woman approached with her ticket held out.
"Excuse me. I am late for flight. . ."
The officer gestured at the ticket.
"What's this?"
"My flight. . ."
"So you're late? Everybody's late! Hey, is anyone else here late?"
"I am!" some British wanker chimed in.
"Go," the Customs agent said, dismissing her with a wave of the hand.
She stood there a moment, looking confused.
"Get back in line!" he shouted.
I almost said something. I almost said, "I'm not late for my flight. I have a three-hour layover. She can go in front of me. And stop being so unprofessional."
But I didn't. Unlike last month's run-in with a rude airport security official, I was trying to enter a country, not leave one, and speaking up against this lowlife wouldn't help the Asian woman and would almost certainly get me in trouble. So I didn't say anything. I still feel bad about it, but there really wasn't anything I could do. The fact that he did this within full sight of several of his coworkers showed that his work environment didn't discourage that sort of thing.
Another small man with a bit of power treating other people like dirt.
We kept waiting in line as a succession of TV Americans welcomed us with big smiles. After a while the Asian woman stopped looking at her watch. She'd missed her flight.
[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]
The airport official said something to him and pointed at the Asian woman. The passenger looked over hopefully. The officer summoned her by jutting his chin in her direction.
The woman approached with her ticket held out.
"Excuse me. I am late for flight. . ."
The officer gestured at the ticket.
"What's this?"
"My flight. . ."
"So you're late? Everybody's late! Hey, is anyone else here late?"
"I am!" some British wanker chimed in.
"Go," the Customs agent said, dismissing her with a wave of the hand.
She stood there a moment, looking confused.
"Get back in line!" he shouted.
I almost said something. I almost said, "I'm not late for my flight. I have a three-hour layover. She can go in front of me. And stop being so unprofessional."
But I didn't. Unlike last month's run-in with a rude airport security official, I was trying to enter a country, not leave one, and speaking up against this lowlife wouldn't help the Asian woman and would almost certainly get me in trouble. So I didn't say anything. I still feel bad about it, but there really wasn't anything I could do. The fact that he did this within full sight of several of his coworkers showed that his work environment didn't discourage that sort of thing.
Another small man with a bit of power treating other people like dirt.
We kept waiting in line as a succession of TV Americans welcomed us with big smiles. After a while the Asian woman stopped looking at her watch. She'd missed her flight.
[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]
Filed under: North America, United States, Transportation, Airports, Travel Security
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David Seminara May 24th 2012 2:09AM
That's a shame. It takes a special kind of person to be able to be kind and courteous day in and day out to hundreds, if not thousands of people passing through, all with various levels of english language fluency under stressful conditions where everyone is in a rush. Based on my personal experience, I'd say that some of these employees start out as nice people who are courteous and professional but they get so sick and tired of dealing with the public that they lose the stomach for it and take their hatred of the job out on the public.
Those people should be rooted out. That said, there are also some travelers who treat customs officers and airline and airport personnel in a rude, condescending manner as well.
GC May 24th 2012 2:09AM
I have to agree. I have flown around the world. I have to say. The border control agents were never happy every time I am home. IT is the same on the citizen line as well. It seems to me that they purposely put on a scary face to intimidate people. It is sad but what this article says is true. It is so rare to find a smiling face among these agents.
Alex Dec 20th 2012 11:37AM
100% accurate. I just came through O'Hare and although a UK citizen I was treated like I was Al Queda. The US citizens were cleared in no time while the cattle were hardly moving through. The CBP female officer (named Kois) would have been a guard at Auschwitz in another time. She was hostile, threatening to revoke my 10 year US visa because I was intending to stay for 5 months (although I am allowed 6 months under the visa). I got pulled aside and taken away to the processing area where I saw people being shouted at, humiliated and one young man pounced on by a gang of CBP officers, slammed against the wall, arms twisted up his back, handcuffed and dragged away. Admittedly he used the F word to one of the stormtroopers, but they all acted like he was carrying an arsenal of AK47's. One officer was heard saying to the other with glee 'He's going to pay for this'. These neanderthals should not be allowed access to uniforms and guns and allowed near the general public. Yes, I saw the happy smiling Americans on the TV's across the top of the booths, but there was no happy smiling ones manning the booths. Machine gun posts would not have been out of place. Although I had in excess of two hours to get my connecting flight to Seattle I was detained long enough to miss it and given back my passport and tickets 15 minutes before my flight left. I had travelled through O'hare last year and went through similar treatment, being hauled away to the same holding pen, but I thought that was a one of, boy was I wrong. Hell will freeze over before I go anywhere near O'hare again. Oh, before I forget. The wall the young man was slammed against held a sign with the CBP pledge displayed proudly. It read 'We pledge to cordially greet and welcome you to the United States' and ' We pledge to treat you with courtesy, dignity and respect'. It should be replaced with a sign above the door with 'Arbeicht Macht Frei' on it, it would be more appropriate.