Comment by zmb_ | Hacker News Reader

Comment by zmb_ | Hacker News Reader

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As a European I wouldn't say I see the USA in the same light as China and Russia, but I definitely feel uncomfortable when I have to travel to the US for work. Given the US's recent track record with human rights and the ongoing mass surveillance, I just can't be sure some innocent comment on some website I've made at some point won't flag me and cause me to be indefinitely detained. I know it's probably not likely, but the possibility is real enough that it makes me uncomfortable. I'd rather work in countries where I know I have rights that will be strongly upheld.

When I traveled to the US first time with a new passport (Chicago, year 200X) I was taken to a police station at the airport and made to answer various questions (I'm a whiter than white male from Northern Europe). The answers were entered into what I assume is some monster database, and I was never explained why this was done or what would be done with the data. It certainly didn't make me feel like I was entering the "land of the free", rather I felt like I was entering a police state.

Did you have to take a photograph and save your 10 fingerprints and disclose all your personal and economic information to get into the USA?

I had to... because it seems for the USA, any Mexican that dares to enter the country is a potential criminal, so there I am in the huge Mexa database. Just because I needed to spend a week in the USA for work.

Whereas the 7 years I lived in Europe (UK and Germany) I did not feel as "guilty". Even with Germany's Rathaus compulsory city registrations.

I had to do the photograph and fingerprints thing, and I guess they get my personal information from my passport. I wasn't asked economic information. I'm British.

I would guess that every Mexican is treated as a potential illegal immigrant.

At various times I've been asked a lot of detail about the company I work for, also I got a lot of questions once about why I went to Turkey so often (it's a really nice place to go on holiday didn't seem an acceptable answer).

Having said that, last few times have been pretty painless. Although I must admit the idea of the fingerprinting does freak me out I'm usually in a state where I don't care when I actually get there.

That's likely because the US views themselves as unofficially being at war with Mexico. The only thing missing from the conflict is the cruise missiles.

I'm european too and while I don't consider the US in the same league as China or Russia I had the same feeling the last time I traveled to US.

I'm also European, I travel to the United States at least once a year and I have never spent longer than 60 seconds at the US border, and that includes scanning my fingerprints. The officers doing passport checks have only ever asked fairly reasonable questions such as how long I am staying for, what the purpose of my travel is and occasionally asking about my occupation.

However, my (US citizen) wife gets harassed here at the UK border all the time; a couple of months ago she was detained at London Heathrow Airport for several hours by the UK Border Agency for no particular reason.

The U.S. can't assume that a white male from a friendly European nation is any less likely to be a terrorist though, as that would be discriminatory against Muslims and quite a few other ethnicities.

Kind of a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't thing, I fear.

As a contrary anecdote, I've travelled to the US many times for business and pleasure. I've never had any feeling I was under surveillance, about to be detained tec.

You may not have had that feeling but you were obviously under surveillance, even before you entered.

Hey, then why don't you stay the hell out of our country. Thanks, love and kisses, Jason

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