Man. Stuff like this is why I get anxious every time we visit the States. The Snook already suffers the indignity of frequent “random” bag searches and being fingerprinted upon arrival (as all Australians do). I can just see some jerkass immigration official deciding he visits too often and throwing him in jail.
miftik
May 16, 2008 — 11:39 am
Crap, that makes the so-called non-existent racial profiling and pat down that I am subjected to each time seem like a fun time.
If they are stating 3300 people were rejected, I can only imagine what the real number is.
Danielle
May 16, 2008 — 11:45 am
That is so scary. I don’t think Hans was fingerprinted, but he was “randomly” chosen for the all-but-strip search on every flight but one, I think. Poor guy.
Kris
May 16, 2008 — 12:08 pm
All Aussies get photographed and fingerprinted. And if this is what we do to our allies and friends, imagine what it’s like for everyone else…
Emily
May 16, 2008 — 1:35 pm
I gather so do all Brits. Gets to be a bit of a dealbreaker for those of us with no special reason (eg a web-goddess!) to enter the US.
Though, it’s easy to be unaware of how it is to enter our own countries for those who aren’t citizens. (Speaking as a UK citizen, and in terms largely of inconvenience and irritation). I feel more anxious in US airports than, say, Australian ones, however.
Danielle
May 18, 2008 — 11:17 pm
I stand corrected. When I told him about this article and asked, he said that he WAS fingerprinted. Don’t know where I was! But he seemed more concerned about the news of border security being able to search laptops without cause.