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US visa waiver - a cautionary tale

My family has just returned from the US where we entered via the visa waiver scheme as we can all honestly tick the boxes on the back of the form.

However my younger son got sent to secondary processing because he had a Turkish visa in his passport from a holiday to Marmaris with his mates two years ago.

As we all know (?), anyone going to Turkey can easily (?) travel to Pakistan or Afghanistan so he must be a terrorist and therefore undesireable. The US immigration computers required that CTR were contacted to agree whether he could enter but they wouldn't answer the phone so some considerable time later the immigration officers finally agreed to admit him. However the customs people also questioned us and searched our bags.

While I've no problem with the US ensuring security of the country I wish that they'd do it on the basis of a correct knowledge of world geography and CTR staff actually being available to follow their procedures.

Cathyhuns Fri 26/09/08 13:53

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jno
Fri 26/09/08
17:55

fussy, aren't they. I suppose they've just never heard of mass tourism to Turkey.

buildersmate
Fri 26/09/08
17:58

Reminds of the the (numerous) occasions on which it has been assumed that I'm from New England when I mention "England". If it isn't within the 50 States then it is clearly 'somewhere else' and hence undesirable.

KARL
Sat 27/09/08
17:14

I think the logic may be as follows: Non-US hence check; Non-Visa-Waiver country hence check more closely; Mostly Muslim country hence assume terrorist connections by association. It takes not a little common sense to see that this is a laughable logic but "the system" is not well endowed.

marki961
Wed 01/10/08
20:36

Wow Cathyhuns, thanks for posting this bit of info. I'll mention it to my friends as lots of them have been to Turkey. Must have been a rather tense delay for you. What with the the grumpy immigration staff it's enough to put you off going there all together!
Marki961

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