U.S. wants own inspectors at foreign airports

[DuctapeFatwa]

The United States wants to place its own inspectors at several foreign airports within months to seek out potential terrorists, a plan which some foreign officials say would undermine their sovereignty.

Robert Bonner, the U.S. commissioner of customs and border protection, told Reuters on Tuesday the agency was in preliminary talks with a number of countries about the new "Immigration Security Initiative," under which U.S. inspectors would vet the passports of U.S.-bound travellers.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040303/325/enip0.html

[Minstrel Boy]

1. Sounds like recent incidents of hot pursuit across the Canadian border

were just trial balloons.

[guajira]

2. Canada Protested against U.S. Customs - just Days before 9-11

Instead of looking for terrorists at US airports, B* had Customs Officers at Canadian airports looking for Americans returning from Cuba!!! Looks like he's trying it again!!

snippet:
OTTAWA - The Department of Foreign Affairs says it will protest a recent U.S. crackdown on Americans who circumvent the U.S. travel ban to Cuba by flying to the Communist country from Canada. The get-tough order from the White House to the Treasury Department has resulted in American customs officers in Canadian airports questioning American travellers about whether they've been to Cuba. If they have, they face fines as high as US$55,000.

A retired social worker from Chicago who joined a Canadian bicycling tour in Cuba recently received notice of a US$7,500 fine from the Treasury Department after having her passport scrutinized by a U.S. customs officer at Pearson International in Toronto. The 1974 Pre-Clearance Treaty permits U.S. customs official to enforce American rules for entry into the United States. "In order to do so, they are authorized to apply U.S. laws related only to the admission of these travellers and their goods," says Foreign Affairs spokesman Carl Schwenger. "Other applications of any U.S. law in Canada is not envisaged. We intend to raise this issue with U.S. authorities."

Bruno Coulome, who runs the Fredericton-based USA Cuba Travel, says many of his American clients have been intimidated by U.S. customs agents at Canadian airports. "The clients are really scared."

He says he has seen customs agents watching his clients check in for their charter flights to Cuba at Montreal's Mirabel Airport. "Many times in the last month I've seen U.S. customs agents waiting at the departure counter," said Mr. Coulome, whose company handles Cuba-bound U.S. customers exclusively. He also thinks customs agents are watching for Americans arriving on flights from Cuba.

http://www.nlg.org/cuba/canadaprotest.htm

[CHIMO]

3. So What

Is new.
We have had these pistol carrying sheriffs in Calgary and Edmonton since I don't remember when.

Join the new world and shut up.

Or do something, that hopefully will help those less empowered.

[guajira]

7. What?????

A lot of anger there.

[Jack The Tab]

9. Get civil or take some of your own advice...

So sick of this shitty uncivilness that has popped up around here in the past few months.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

4. The sheer arrogance of this is mindboggling n/t

[pacifictiger]

5. Depends

on what countries they're talking about - if afghanistan, pakistan, nigeria, or indonesia etc, where corruption among govt officials is high, maybe. If sweden, finland, nz, etc, where they have strict controls and little corruption, absolutely not.

[lefty_mcduff]

6. US Immigration and Customs officers

are based at Toronto's Lester B Pearon Airport.
Have been since i can remember. No big deal really

[guajira]

8. Airport Officials conside it a big deal

Are US Customs Agents there to look for terrorists or arrest US citizens for going to Cuba?? The article posted was dated Sept. 1, 2001 - just 10 days before 9-11.
Maybe B* should change his priorities.

snippet from article posted above:
"A retired social worker from Chicago who joined a Canadian bicycling tour in Cuba recently received notice of a US$7,500 fine from the Treasury Department after having her passport scrutinized by a U.S. customs officer at Pearson International in Toronto. The 1974 Pre-Clearance Treaty permits U.S. customs official to enforce American rules for entry into the United States. "In order to do so, they are authorized to apply U.S. laws related only to the admission of these travellers and their goods," says Foreign Affairs spokesman Carl Schwenger. "Other applications of any U.S. law in Canada is not envisaged. We intend to raise this issue with U.S. authorities."

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. Fine. Go through Mexico instead.

Or the Bahamas. Or Jamaica. Or any of a dozen nearby countries. It isn't possible that ALL of them will bend over.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. I don't know.

We seem to be bending over a lot here in The Americas lately.

[guajira]

12. The Bahamas already has US Customs Agents and..

B* is trying to get US Agents in Mexican airports.

This wouldn't be important unless you value personal freedom, and I value my freedoms very highly!!