Crossing 12/30, w/ expired/no passports

kazpilot25

kazpilot25

Guest
Hey everyone!

I'm new on here but had a question for you all. I will be traveling to RP on 12/30 and returning on 1/2. It is going to be my wife and I and our two friends. I have a valid passport, my wife has an expired passport and our friends have no passports but will be bringing along birth certificates. I know there are several of you have crossed with no problems but our friends and my wife are all getting nervous about getting stuck there.

Please let me know what you all think.
 
B

brother d

Guest
It wouldn't surprise me if you were detained as we are now a full six months into the new regulation requiring passports or passport cards.

The rules now seem to be that everyone gets handcuffed while things are worked out. This is what I have been told directly by folks who had this experience recently at the Lukeville crossing.
 
Jim

Jim

Guest
I have a friend who crossed 6 times over the past few months. They have never cuffed her and it wasn't that big a deal but the last time said that next time she tried it she would get a pretty hefty fine.
 
C

cactusamigo

Guest
Jim -

"They have never cuffed her ...she would get a pretty hefty fine."

Cuff her for what? A fine for what? Please explain so that others would understand what you are talking about.
 
Jim

Jim

Guest
Brother d was trying to make it sound worse than it is in the post before mine. I'm saying that she had no problems several times but they finally got tired of suggesting she get a passport and threatened a fine if she came across again without one.
 
B

brother d

Guest
No effort on my part to make it sound one way or another. The poster asked for opinions and I gave one based on actual events. People are getting handcuffed at the border coming back to the U.S. while they wait to be cleared for entry. Simple as that. They don't need a good reason to do it. No passport is plenty good enough.
 
rockyptjoe

rockyptjoe

Guest
brother d said:
No effort on my part to make it sound one way or another. The poster asked for opinions and I gave one based on actual events. People are getting handcuffed at the border coming back to the U.S. while they wait to be cleared for entry. Simple as that. They don't need a good reason to do it. No passport is plenty good enough.
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And you have actually seen this??? I come across at least once a month....and have never seen anyone get handcuffed SOLELY for not having a passport if they have other paperwork (birth certificate)....I can see if there are drugs or something found....
 
kazpilot25

kazpilot25

Guest
Thanks for the information. We have decided to just go down to the Tucson office Thursday morning to get the passports taken care of before the trip. My aunt went down on sunday afternoon and met with the border patrol agents and they told her, "We cannot deny access to the United States to any natural born citizen, the process may take a few minutes longer but as long as they have a drivers license and birth certificate we can prove their citizenship status". Knowing that is comforting but still much more comforting to just have the actual passports.
 
InkaRoads

InkaRoads

cronopiador
As far as I know and for what I have been told by the Custom officers is that you can use your pic ID and birth certificate to go back to USA, it will delay your entry since they will have to do more investigation about you, once they find that you have been told a few times they might get hard on you and allow you to sit and wait for a few hours to teach you a lesson, however you go and proof that to the authorities, they might make you wait longer the next time around, with or without passport!!
In all the back and force that I have done with passengers they have not make us pull to the side or make us wait longer than 15 minutes for not having a passport.
If anybody has a criminal record, or a fine that has not been paid (warrant for arrest)or probably a joint he bought down in PP, you bet you ars they will handcuff you, otherwise you could go to the Human rights org and kill them all for letting this happen, specially to a USA citizen returning to his/hers homeland.
 
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Roberto

Roberto

Guest
brother d said:
No effort on my part to make it sound one way or another. The poster asked for opinions and I gave one based on actual events. People are getting handcuffed at the border coming back to the U.S. while they wait to be cleared for entry. Simple as that. They don't need a good reason to do it. No passport is plenty good enough.
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As a regular crosser I have never seen that either. My son crossed at Thanksgiving without a passport, no problems. Prior to his visit I phoned the Lukeville ICE office and was told he could pass with an ORIGINAL or certified copy of a birth certificate. Yes, better to have a passport and get it over with.
 
P

Parrothead

Guest
If you have a receipt for application for a passport along with picture ID and birth certificate, you will not have a problem, friends of mine did just that last week and there was not even a delay.

As far as being handcuffed solely for not haveing a passport, I would have to see that to believe it!
 
kazpilot25

kazpilot25

Guest
I just called the Port of Entry at Lukeville and was told by 2 separate people including the director that as long as you bring a valid birth certificate and 2 forms of ID there will be no problems. Just wanted to let you all know.
 
G

GringoZona

Guest
As I've said before, been through several times w/out a PP; went through a couple of months back and they didn't even want to see my birth certificate, just ID. Handcuffs? Puhhh-LEEEZE! That **** would be all over the news. Liar.
 
dmcauley

dmcauley

Guest
Sorry folks. but I do believe some of these idiots will resort to hand cuffs. My son got handcuffed and shackled on entry solely because there was a for sale sign on the floor of the car. Being a dark skinned Mexican wasn't a big help for him yet I still believe if they had ID'd him first all that drama could have been avoided.
Liar is a harsh word.
 
rockyptjoe

rockyptjoe

Guest
dmcauley said:
Sorry folks. but I do believe some of these idiots will resort to hand cuffs. My son got handcuffed and shackled on entry solely because there was a for sale sign on the floor of the car. Being a dark skinned Mexican wasn't a big help for him yet I still believe if they had ID'd him first all that drama could have been avoided.
Liar is a harsh word.
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I've also seen people get cuffed in front of me on line....but it was always for some other reason and not for not having their passport.....
 
G

GringoZona

Guest
Regarding this statement: "The rules now seem to be that everyone gets handcuffed while things are worked out. This is what I have been told directly by folks who had this experience recently at the Lukeville crossing."

Someone is a liar, not necessarily the poster.
 
B

brother d

Guest
I've never seen it happen but was told to us by two neighbors here in RP that it did happen to in the past few months.

Is this one of those forums where everyone must agree or else? I heard it was but I hope it's not true.
 
A

AZ Miguel

Guest
Wahoo said:
If you break a law an officer of the peace is always required to handcuff the subject. Not having papers upon entry and you try to still come in is breaking the law.

The process at lukeville is if you "KNOW" you are breaking the law, (which not having a passport and trying to cross is); is park your car at the Mex side and "Walk" into the crossing house. You volunteer the information and documentation. You declare first. (I am breaking the law but here is what I have)

You do not wait to see if they will "catch" you trying to do something illegal.

I would even go to the Xhouse before crossing into Mex to get a signed clearance to show upon re entry. They are very accommodative. I used a USdrivers license and a paper showing that I was in process of obtaining a Green card and they let me pass after a few calls by them.

We are a country of laws; follow them.

It happens at all borders, why not Lukeville?

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/soundoff/archive/2009/12/18/410132.aspx
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That has got to be some of the best advice I have seen posted here yet!
 
B

brother d

Guest
After looking into the details of our friends who were handcuffed the story is this:

Their boat in tow on a trailer had an abundance of sand in the hull due to a mishap with a sandbar. The presence of the sand created a situation that the guards wanted to verify further. The folks were both handcuffed for a couple of hours as the mystery of the sand was investigated.
 
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