# Warning for travellers through the US **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478 "2017-02-22T17:13:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/21 "2017-02-23T13:49:01Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > Thanks Donald. Now we’re all in “fly over country”. I hope, in light of the facts presented in this thread, that you are just setting up your famous “Never mind” line… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/22 "2017-02-23T14:58:00Z")
I love this kind of thread. “I got fingerprinted! This is all Trump’s fault, darn him!” “Actually the rules were set up and approved under Obama.” “I don’t care. It’s still his fault!” Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/23 "2017-02-23T16:02:46Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I love this kind of thread. “I got fingerprinted! This is all Trump’s fault, darn him!” > > “Actually the rules were set up and approved under Obama.” > > “I don’t care. It’s still his fault!” > > Regards, > Shodan There have been hassles for all travellers through the United States over the years, and these hassles have been increasing. You may feel that this is a good direction to be going in. You may feel the need to “blame” someone. Whatever. The point is, an official Canadian federal government representative has now told his constituents that they should avoid transiting through the US if at all possible. i would think that this is not a good thing for the United States. You may be cool with it. OK. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/24 "2017-02-23T16:20:11Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Well, it would still seem willfully obtuse and hysterical if the chap _continued_ to blame Obama’s successor. Because the so-called president has absolutely no power over immigration policies, and if the Obama admin made a policy that was not well rolled out, well, damnit, what can he possibly do to fix it? How long do you really think the “It’s Obama’s fault” card will continue to play? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/25 "2017-02-23T16:38:29Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Between stories like this and them demanding phone passwords and social media access, I’m certainly considering routing our upcoming travel to avoid transiting through America. Even if it costs us more. I know it’s horrible that Trump is making people give up their [passwords.](http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/6810310) I would definitely stay out of any country that did that. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/26 "2017-02-23T16:54:50Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Because the so-called president has absolutely no power over immigration policies, and if the Obama admin made a policy that was not well rolled out, well, damnit, what can he possibly do to fix it? > > How long do you really think the “It’s Obama’s fault” card will continue to play? And Mr. Trump has been given how long to respond to the incident in the OP ? Even were it one of his priorities, which it isn’t. Not a fan of Trump but it would seen to be on he under whom these rules were crafted, rather than on someone in for his first few weeks. > [@Loach](#): > > I know it’s horrible that Trump is making people give up their [passwords.](http://m.huffpost.com/ca/entry/6810310) I would definitely stay out of any country that did that. They tried that on me — except the laptop wouldn’t turn on. After meeting the TSA I decided never to return to the US. My loss, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/27 "2017-02-23T16:58:35Z")
Anyway, I worked out long ago in future best to carry a plain, empty except for innocuous files, device, and have everything one might need preloaded to the Cloud. And use that Cloud for saving stuff whilst there. And I don’t even like the Cloud. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/28 "2017-02-23T22:09:28Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Because the so-called president has absolutely no power over immigration policies, and if the Obama admin made a policy that was not well rolled out, well, damnit, what can he possibly do to fix it? > > How long do you really think the “It’s Obama’s fault” card will continue to play? Please read the cited facts: - This has been a 'thing" for over 15 years. It was part of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act of 2002. - Canada does it, too - as do most large, developed nations. - Biometric data can be shared between Canada, US, UK, NZ and Australia under the High Value Data Protocol Initiative. That doesn’t mean that is what happened in this case. A Canadian official who knows nothing of the biometric process overreacted to something the US does that his country does as well. That’s the story, nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/29 "2017-02-23T22:56:56Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I’ve been to 24 countries in the past two years, and the only one that fingerprinted me was Cambodia – inexplicably, as I was leaving, at a land border. Every time I enter Japan they scan my fingerprints and retinas ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/30 "2017-02-24T00:55:36Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > [Canadian man forced to disclose phone password and then turned away due to scruff profile](http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531). They accused him of being a sex worker based on the contents of his phone. And this is why Americans should avoid Canada: [Stuck in Canadian Customs – Tynan.com](http://tynan.com/ohcanada) > [@](#): > > “If you don’t tell me your password, your laptop will be impounded and I will keep you here so that you miss your flight. You’ll go back to San Francisco, most likely.” . . > [@](#): > > I mean… you know that you fit the profile." > “I do? What profile?” > “Oh, a drug smuggler. I mean, come on. Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Japan.” (Japan?) > . Borders suck. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478/31 "2017-02-25T16:27:11Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > They tried that on me — except the laptop wouldn’t turn on. After meeting the TSA I decided never to return to the US. > My loss, no doubt. Read the link. It was Canada. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-for-travellers-through-the-us/780478.md?page=1)