Entering the USA

[Hannes665]

I am starting a Modern day action campaign this weekend. The situation may arise were the PC must enter the US with false papers as US citizens. So I am asking any US citizen here, when entering the US with a US passport are you fingerprinted and do they take a picture off you as they do with non US travelers?

[aesir23]

I haven't traveled internationally* since before everything changed in 9/11/01, however, back in the day you could just hand over your passport and answer a few questions about where you were and what you're bringing back.

At which point you were either waved through or singled out for a search.





*Not counting Canada. The Canadian border into the US has automatic cameras that take your picture while you drive through, but you aren't expected to get out of your car unless you're singled out for a search. Just hand over your passport like you're at the drive-through.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by aesir23

I haven't traveled internationally* since before everything changed in 9/11/01, however, back in the day you could just hand over your passport and answer a few questions about where you were and what you're bringing back.

At which point you were either waved through or singled out for a search.





*Not counting Canada. The Canadian border into the US has automatic cameras that take your picture while you drive through, but you aren't expected to get out of your car unless you're singled out for a search. Just hand over your passport like you're at the drive-through.

My experience is similar to aesir's, though it was mainly after 2001. Unfortunately, when I've been out-of-country it was on cruises, one to Canada and the other to the Caribbean. Neither time were we fingerprinted or anything, and we just had to hand over passports/etc.

[ULFGARD]

They're more concerned about confiscating ham and cheese from foreign lands than they are about your legal status.

[Unit04]

And ninja hats. I was questioned about the Ninja Hat I brought back from Japan.

[Jovus]

They do now fingerprint you, though I can't speak to the efficacy of the machines.

[marvin]

Having been on a cruise that went out of the country recently, I can say that it would be laughably easy to board a cruise mid-journey as a stow-away and then enter the US. Many cruise lines go out of their way not to inconvenience their customers so security is light and rather unobtrusive.

Getting on a cruise ship would require picking the pocket of a distracted tourist and then fumbling around a bit while reboarding; be sure to look harried, tired and unthreatening. Once onboard ditch the pilfered IDs and then find a quiet corner of the cruise ship to hang out in. There were plenty of places like this on the large cruise ship I was on ranging from secluded bars to even more secluded corridors. I don't always sleep well so I had some nights with hours to kill. I spent them wandering the ship.

Once home port is reached stand in line a bit; the crowds are large and there are only so many crew members available to keep an eye on people. The cruise I went on was very family friendly, thus much effort was made to corral wandering children but very little was done to monitor adults. There were a few security cameras but many blindspots as well. Either stay in line and use the crowd as cover to make an unnoticed departure prior to getting to customs or make your way to one of several exits being used by crew and deckhands. Even if you're caught initially the cruise people are more helpful than suspicious. Remember they're there to help make your cruise an enjoyable experience so let them help. As a final note even once customs was reached the actual customs staff didn't seam to be the cream of the crop when it came to watchful security professionals.

Just some ideas.

Benjamin

[Danukian]

Originally Posted by Jovus

They do now fingerprint you, though I can't speak to the efficacy of the machines.

I make international trips fairly often, and I never been fingerprinted at customs/the border of the US. The most recent trip through US customs was just this March. Other than answering a few dumb questions ("Are you carrying anything illegal?" - "Golly, I was hoping you weren't going to ask me that! Well, I guess I'm caught...") the only real inconvenience was the line.

Airport security in Manilla is fairly silly - there are very heavily armed guards and a shoe check at each end of a terminal hall, so you take off you shoes and go through a standard x-ray scan, walk to the end of a hallway with no other entrances or exits, then take your shoes off again and go through another - there is no way I made a bomb without materials in that 30' while being watched by armed guards, I can assure you.

[sir_pudding]

Yeah, they just have you fill out a card that nobody probably reads, check your passport and ask you some dumb questions. At least as of 2010. Otherwise it's the normal airport stuff.

[Bruno]

I've traveled by air, car, and bus into the US (as a Canadian) since 9/11, and will be doing so again for GenCon this year. This will be my first time since they introduced full-body X-Rays and I'm not looking forward to that - I've got enough of a cancer risk already...

I've never been fingerprinted, although they did make me take my shoes off. I've never been made to stand for a formal photo, but of course the entire Immigration area is under surveillance so I suspect there were cameras pointed at me from every direction.

It might be easier to sneak the PCs in under a foreign passport and travellers visa and then deploy the fake US papers.

Canadians enjoy a somewhat privileged experience entering the US, however. I think they consider us a fairly low risk for trying to overstay our Visas, and we like to come down South and spend our money there every winter.