Entering/Leaving the US (and other countries)

[kphoger]

I was detained for a couple of hours

I don't remember if this story was about a domestic or an international flight, but whatever...

Jerry Jenkins is a fairly well-known Christian author, mainly because he co-authored the Left Behind book series.    One day in the late 1990s, he got his luggage searched at the airport.  He'd been working on the manuscript for the next book in that series at the time and, because this was the 1990s, he had his work on disk with him in his luggage.  He had hand-written the name of this novel-in-progress on the top of the CD-RW in black Sharpie marker.  Its name was to be Assassins.  So there he was in an airport, and the security guard pulled a disc out of his bag that had nothing but the word 'assassins' written on it.  Yeah, he spent quite a bit of time with them that day.

[JayhawkCO]

I was detained for a couple of hours

I don't remember if this story was about a domestic or an international flight, but whatever...

Jerry Jenkins is a fairly well-known Christian author, mainly because he co-authored the Left Behind book series.    One day in the late 1990s, he got his luggage searched at the airport.  He'd been working on the manuscript for the next book in that series at the time and, because this was the 1990s, he had his work on disk with him in his luggage.  He had hand-written the name of this novel-in-progress on the top of the CD-RW in black Sharpie marker.  Its name was to be Assassins.  So there he was in an airport, and the security guard pulled a disc out of his bag that had nothing but the word 'assassins' written on it.  Yeah, he spent quite a bit of time with them that day.

Alas, nothing that "scary" in my bag. They just couldn't fathom why a 25-year-old guy would go to Hong Kong for four days. I get that I travel somewhat unconventionally (see my last trip), but when I very quickly and easily explain what I'm doing, IMO, it shouldn't have required me sitting in an interview room for a couple of hours. Thankfully my flight was delayed anyway, so I ended up having a 6-7 hour layover.

[Rothman]

You can't refuse a search at a border.

Or, if you do, then they'll just bring over a drug-sniffing dog who will "indicate" something by breathing funny or scratching its balls in an unusual way, and then they have probably cause.

I was thinking more simply:

"If you dom't let us search your vehicle, you don't get to come in."

[1995hoo]

You can't refuse a search at a border.

Or, if you do, then they'll just bring over a drug-sniffing dog who will "indicate" something by breathing funny or scratching its balls in an unusual way, and then they have probably cause.

I was thinking more simply:

"If you dom't let us search your vehicle, you don't get to come in."

At least in the US, the border authorities cannot legally refuse to allow a citizen into the country, though they can delay you for a long time and make the experience as miserable as possible (and, conceivably, they might have law enforcement come and arrest you if you do something illegal).

[Rothman]

You can't refuse a search at a border.

Or, if you do, then they'll just bring over a drug-sniffing dog who will "indicate" something by breathing funny or scratching its balls in an unusual way, and then they have probably cause.

I was thinking more simply:

"If you dom't let us search your vehicle, you don't get to come in."

At least in the US, the border authorities cannot legally refuse to allow a citizen into the country, though they can delay you for a long time and make the experience as miserable as possible (and, conceivably, they might have law enforcement come and arrest you if you do something illegal).

The line between refusal and indefinite detainment can be so fuzzy...

(I think "dom't" should be a word)

[Scott5114]

What is "probably cause"?

It's when they probably have probable cause.
Or it's a typo.

Must be ...

There is no legal concept of "when they probably have probable cause." 

There is probably no legal concept of "when they probably have probable cause." 

[Beltway]

What is "probably cause"?

It's when they probably have probable cause.
Or it's a typo.

Must be ...
There is no legal concept of "when they probably have probable cause." 

There is probably no legal concept of "when they probably have probable cause." 

It is probable that there is probably no legal concept of "when they probably have probable cause."