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Comment by tallanvor | Hacker News Reader

As someone who has been living overseas for over 11 years, I can honestly say that US border control and TSA have the most unprofessional and disrespectful employees I've encountered in my travels. It's unlikely they'll ask to check your electronics unless they suspect you've been someplace like Syria, Iraq, etc., but nevertheless they'll look for any reason at all to question you as if you're a criminal.

If foreign visitors get treated even half as poorly as I've been treated, and I'm sure they do, it's an embarrassment. I wish more Americans traveled overseas because if they experienced the difference between how we treat people vs how others do, they'd be properly outraged.

I stopped bothering even being polite to them after getting repeatedly questioned about my travels when I trying to get back home before my mother died. I'll be the first to admit that I often have trouble showing empathy, but these people make me look like a saint.

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I'm missing my right hand, on my first visit to the US since 1994 (as a child) I was asked to scan my hand. I politely tried to tell the agent that I'd have to scan my left hand and he started shouting at me without looking at me.

Each time I uttered anything he'd just randomly shout for me to comply, after about the fourth time he looked up and ordered me to use my left hand.

Absolutely bizarre experience.

I was suspected of going to Syria, and they did not search my electronics (or anything) at all. It wasn't until after all sorts of questioning that they searched me, and they didn't tell me the reasons for their questions until they were done either.

Oddly enough, I had a raspberry pi with me (with no case or packaging), and I thought I'd get accused of making bombs like the girl at Logan airport. However, the kid searching my luggage said "cool, a raspberry pi! What projects do you do with it?"

> I wish more Americans traveled overseas because if they experienced the difference between how we treat people vs how others do, they'd be properly outraged.

Twelve years or so ago I was having serious doubts they were going to let me leave Amsterdam to travel back to the US (on a one way ticket) because I had a Iraqi customs stamp in my passport, they were quite concerned and inquisitive about it.

Previously on the same trip I was searched pretty thoroughly on the train because I just happened to be traveling between countries on the same day as the 2005 London bombings. I guess they figured anyone traveling around Eastern Europe with a ukulele probably isn't too much of a threat so they didn't hassle me too much.

That second one kind of surprised me because I thought they just let you travel within the eurozone without problem.

"I can honestly say that US border control and TSA have the most unprofessional and disrespectful employees I've encountered in my travels"

They really seem to be selecting for the biggest assholes they can find. I have had many weird or disrespectful encounters with them. Example: asking my American wife (I am German) " why did you not marry an American, but a foreigner". Who would ask such a question as the first thing?

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