Return to Article: Travel groups say U.S. visitors report unfriendly reception
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51271
i have live and traveled in both the us and canada. canadians are nicer if they think you are just a visitor. Immigrate and the fangs come out. I have many immigrant friends and family members and they too think the US is far kinder and nicer. Customs are just busy and matter of fact no time for chit chat. I found the Canadian ones ruder to me when I travel with my disabled daughter.
We have driven, flown and taken the bus and I know the US customs get a lot of nuts and are ten times more busy and are law enforcement officers as opposed to the Canadian side.
I find Americans all over far more kind and friendly then I did. The most friendly place I found in Ontario, Branfford.
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20599
This discussion has turned into Americans are rude vs. Canadians are rude. That's not what the issue is. It's whether the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol are rude. Some Americans are rude some are friendly -- same as with Canadians. I found some very rude Canadians in Winsor but some extremely helpful, nice and friendly Canadians in Toronto. The issue is U.S. Customs, and they are rude. I understand they have a job to do. I even understand that it is probably helpful in their job to be intimidating; however, there is no need to be rude. I was very polite, said thank you, yes sir, had my documents ready, etc. They talk to you like you're nothing, demand documents and order you to do things. Customs need to use a little decorum. Do your job, I'm all for it, but don't be rude in the process.
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20338
Brian,
I'm glad you consider yourself to be a "legitimate" foreign visitor to my country. However, that means nothing to us, because every visitor would characterize himself or herself in that way. We don't know who is entering our country, and must therefore be very careful in screening visitors such as yourself. I'm sure that you are a nice guy, but we have no way of knowing that. That's why we have border searches, and unfortunately, while looking for the "bad guys," the "good guys" might also be inconvenienced. Sorry if some of us were "rude" to you, we'll try to be friendlier next time!
Happy holidays.
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20335
Brian, this country has been one of the most lenient countries to enter throughout the world. In fact, our government has been negligent in its responsibility to properly control the borders. 9/11 may never have happened if the United States would have had more control over who entered and left this country. Canada was not bombed like we were. I fully support what our homeland security does and it is time that a clean-up took place within this country's borders. If the customs people are rude, we will have to look at it as a fact of life, both on your side and ours. Some things we have to live with and I can only say "welcome to the U.S. anytime, but we cannot promise non-rudeness." They are as bad to us as they are to you, even though I agree that some of it is probably not necessary. I apologize for my prior comment to you; just trying to put some humor into the whole thing. However, I support keeping this country safe.
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20273
Listen, I am not whining. Bury your head in the sand if you want but don't accuse the people who have to put up with your far too restrictive and rude border officials of whining. Grow up. Do you cross the Canada-U.S. border frequently for business? I doubt it. I do. Therefore, I know what I'm talking about. It's based on real-life experiences. I too was at the WTC exactly one month before 9/11. I could very easily be dead at this point in time if not for the month I happened to visit NYC. Nonetheless, that is precisely the reason the legitimate foreign visitor from a friendly country should not be subjected to rude and harassing behavior by U.S. border officials! Otherwise the terrorists have won, I'm afraid as your country sacrifices the very freedoms and ideals it is supposed to stand for. Can you say hypocritical? I don't care if you don't like my message. I happen to be bang on. Deal with it, and not through personal insults. Actually be an adult and deal with this serious issue.
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20190
Brian, I have read all of your whining. If you want to talk about rudeness of customs entering this country, how about you acquiring a commercial drivers license in the U.S. and taking a truck into Canada. Your customs people are rude to any American truckers that enter your country. They are belligerent, arrogant and do not show a bit of courtesy. I also dealt with your Navy many years ago while serving on naval shore patrol in foreign ports. You had many who displayed the typical Canadian arrogance that you now have displayed in your comments. If you don't like coming into the United States, then stay out. See how easy it is to be rude.
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20162
Dear Brian:
If you're tired of our "fear mongering," maybe it's because it wasn't Vancouver or Toronto that was attacked on 9/11, but New York and Washington. If your cities were attacked, you'd be singing a different tune. Almost 3,000 of our citizens were murdered that day, not yours. After that cowardly attack, when we try to control our borders so that we know who is coming into our country (not an unreasonable request), you have the audacity to call fingerprinting visitors to the U.S. "criminal." What is criminal is the openness of Canada, which attracts terrorists like moths to a flame, who then enter the United States. Remember the Millennium Plot? It was stopped by U.S. Customs inspectors, the same people you are criticizing. Looks like they did a pretty good job then, didn't they? Maybe Canada should tighten up its entry requirements, especially for travelers from known centers of terrorism. Sorry to upset your fragile ego, but I have to agree with DHS ICE here. If making my country safer means hurting some visitor's feelings, well, that's just tough. Act like an adult, and get over it already!
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20137
To DHS ICE,
Your response indicates it is you who has your head buried in the sand. Not only are you rude and personally insulting (thus confirming the stereotype of the "ugly American," which is at the center of this discussion) but you also attempt to avoid the results of a reputable survey that indicates that the vast majority of international visitors consider U.S. customs officials to be the rudest in the world. Houston, you have a problem. Wouldn't it make sense to deal with the problem with a view to improving the situation, rather than attacking the people who have to put up with it? I am sorry to hear about your experience in Canada; however, it is not Canada Customs that was ranked as the rudest border agency in the world. Deal with the issue, and don't give me any malarkey about terrorism. We're tired of your fear-mongering.
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20098
All you people who look like crooks, stay home and DHS won't be rude to you. Who guaranteed you that the world was free of rudeness to begin with? You don't need to be going places that require you to go through customs. I spent 20 years in the military and never did have a rude customs inspector. You people must be doing something wrong. Behave yourself, stop whining in the customs line and things will go better for you. If they dump your articles on the floor, handcuff you, etc., forget it. Life isn't easy.
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20011
Response Mr. Brian Bailey,
You say that fingerprinting people applying for admission to the United States is "criminal activity" by officers of the CBP.
Since when does a country not have a right to protect its sovereign borders from potential criminals and terrorists, and take whatever measures are necessary to do this? I think sir you need to get back to your table and drink some more Kool-Aid, since you don't have a clue about the war on terror.
Oh and by the way, try being an American tourist going to Canada and being treated like you're some kind of outcast renegade cowboy just because you are an "ugly American." I will not travel to Canada because of the rude and unjust way that my fellow citizens have been treated in your Canada, and they sir were just tourists like yourself. You need a reality check on current events and to get a grip on geopolitical affairs. If coming into our country gives you so much discomfort, stay home.
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19985
No, I wasn't raised to smile and make the best of a situation that doesn't make much sense. I was raised to use my brain. My point is that the people who are supposed to feel protected -- legitimate visitors like myself -- feel somewhat abused rather than protected. That was the strong conclusion of the recent survey, correct? Therefore, the U.S. authorities need to fix an obvious problem on their side. Denial is a poor excuse and does nothing to address an issue that so obviously needs to be fixed. The vast majority of international travelers can't be wrong!
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19916
Well, sir, I'm truly sorry for your unpleasant experience crossing the border. Unfortunately, in this day and age, the United States must take steps to protect its citizens, and visitors such as you, from international terrorists and criminal organizations. As a sovereign nation, it is our right to know who is coming to visit us, and for what purpose. That is the reality we all have to face today, and one we will all have to learn to live with. I don't excuse rudeness, however. That is not and has never been official policy. Those who are responsible should be held to account for their actions, but no matter what, it sadly appears that we will never be going back to the good old days, so just smile and make the best of it!
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19872
I see rudeness on the part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials every time I pass through customs at Vancouver International Airport. It just turns me off visiting the United States, which I like as a country once I manage to get past the border. I have met some nice CBP staff and I understand they have a job to do, but believe me, they won't have a job if everyone else stops visiting due to the unpleasantness of the whole experience. The rudeness is usually completely uncalled for and leaves a very bad image of the U.S. government, which already has a terrible image. You'd think they'd be trying to be more welcoming and polite to overcome the bad image. It's a bloody shame when I remember how it was crossing the border between two friendly allies when I was a kid. It's pathetic really. The United States is giving up all its freedoms and the higher values the rest of the world used to look up to it for.
Well, it only damages the United States in the end -- travel is down, international students are down....and don't even get me started on the fingerprinting going on now - that's the really criminal behavior. The United States has to start treating its visitors with respect and politeness or they will take their money somewhere else (they already are). I hope you can turn this abysmal failure of a policy around soon!
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19799
American rudeness does not limit itself to the government sector any longer. The treatment of consumers in our retail outlets has also moved to rude and unnecessary. This can be found particularly in department stores such as Macy's. But then again most of the store clerks are foreigners that speak little or very poor English. Guess we do not need store clerks anymore because frequently at Macy's, you cannot even find anyone to check you out - I do not go there any more. However, the point is that rudeness is not limited in the United States, we find it everywhere. We even invent names for rudeness that make it appear that it is not rudeness -- such as "road rage"!
American informality and lack of manners has developed into rudeness and no one being held responsible for their actions!
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19782
Where I used to work, some visitors from New Zealand came in one day. One of the things they mentioned was that when Americans in New Zealand complain about something, it's almost always rude treatment from bus drivers, waiters, etc.
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19770
As someone who encounters travelers daily, I'd like to think that most find their encounter with me to be neutral if not reasonably pleasant. The few that did not find it so were likely up to something, as it were. Some feel that rules do not apply to them, and these are the most difficult to deal with. Most CBP Officers and TSA screeners are proud of what they do and do not hassle people unnecessarily, but unfortunately some do. It seems to me, however, that people only hear about us when there's a problem. Not about the millions of people, vehicles, planes, and vessels processed daily without a hitch. Remember the pressure under which we operate: terrorists and criminals can be wrong as many times as it takes, where we only have to be wrong once. Further, the airline industry needs to take a long look at the way it treats customers; I can certainly understand why some people feel hassled before they ever see a CBP officer or a TSA screener, much less afterward. You don't see too many surveys about that, though.
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19758
As a gratefully retired Customs officer who worked at a large East Coast airport for many years, and I take offense at the tone of this article. Quoting a few disgruntled passengers does not give a balanced view of modern international air travel. Most large airports clear millions of international and domestic travelers each year with few serious problems. But weather delays, forced overtime (including holidays) are some of the unfortunate factors in the inspectors' attitude. Another problem is simply that many Americans feel that they somehow have a special, warm and fuzzy relationship with anyone connected with their trip. Foreign travelers just want to get through the formalities and leave! Working in passenger processing is a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. Don't knock the officers who for the most part try to do it civilly.
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19751
I was one of those officials at the airport that everyone from foreign countries seems to hate according to the travel business-oriented surveys. Rare is the instance that I saw an inspector being rude to a passenger. Rather, I saw the opposite. When the airline representative blew off the passenger, we were there to help them. But enough rock throwing. The travel industry is a big lobby and can command desired results from any survey taker. The travel industry's bottom line is the almighty dollar. I only wish that the civil service employees who work a tremendous amount of hours under very stressful conditions had such a lobby. Then maybe the survey results would have been different. Anyone who thinks that being a Customs and Border Protection Officer is the same as being there to meet and greet visitors is wrong. We are put there for a purpose -- to protect our borders. We do it in an intelligent, articulate and professional manner.
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19747
As a frequent overseas traveler I would have to concur that the majority of the rude people I meet at airports work for the U.S. government. The Customs officers are an exception -- they are most always friendly, and as I carry an "official" passport, they tend to welcome me home. The attitudes of the personnel at the immigration checkpoints vary. I would say O'Hare and DFW are the best and LA and Dulles are by far the worst. But even those representatives pale in comparison to the TSA personnel at the major international airports. If you want to see an example of a rude, inhospitable, ill-tempered American go see these people, they set the standard for the "ugly American."
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19745
I've been through airports and security checks in many other countries, and I received the rudest welcome home right here at the check point of entry in Florida. And we were U.S. citizens returning from vacation! I can just imagine what our visitors have to put up with. Manners and common civil behaviors were seriously lacking. We were definitely treated as if we were common criminals and up to something. For one of the first times in the recent times I was ashamed to be an American. Along with the security training, manners should be taught to all!!
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19737
My family and I flew to London the week that the bomb scare hit England. We flew British Air with the very strict carry-on requirements. The airline never told us that when we arrived in London, our connecting flight was canceled. None of the airport officials gave any help without being very discourteous. Most were no help at all. The return flight was not much better a week later until we reached Dallas. It may have been because we are Texans but all the security and customs people were very friendly and welcomed us home. They directed us to where we needed to be and had signs posted to help along the way unlike the UK.
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19736
I thought foreigners came here to see how Americans live. What could be more American than being treated rudely by government officials? If you are disabled and applying for Social Security benefits or injured and applying for workers' compensation or you apply for a drivers license or even ask to speak to any of your government representatives, you will probably be treated rather rudely.
There are countless ways to be treated rudely by our government. Then there are all of the barriers that government officials have put in place to prevent people from questioning their authority to violate the constitution or countless federal laws. If you even say the wrong thing these days you could be treated very rudely, and maybe even be labeled as a terrorist. Welcome to the American experience.
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