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Homeland Security To Scan Citizens Exiting US
An anonymous reader writes "The US Department of Homeland Security is set to kickstart a controversial new pilot to scan the fingerprints of travellers departing the United States. From June, US Customs and Border Patrol will take a fingerprint scan of travellers exiting the United States from Detroit, while the US Transport Security Administration will take fingerprint scans of international travellers exiting the United States from Atlanta. The controversial plan to scan outgoing passengers — including US citizens — was allegedly hatched under the Bush Administration. An official has said it will be used in part to crack down on the US population of illegal immigrants."
You know, I hate what's going on in America but your cowardly post is bullshit. I traveled to Canada (Winnipeg via North Dakota to be exact) in 2006 and while I had absolutely ZERO issues getting back into the US (I was actually surprised--weren't we trying to keep terrorists out?) getting into Canada was a fucking pain in the ass.
1. We were detained at the border.
2. We were made to wait for 60 minutes next to three shady looking motherfuckers (who fit the racial profile of those the US would detain) while the border agents stood around and talked amongst themselves.
3. The three shady fucks were questioned in the back. Eventually they were all called to the front one at a time. Each was told, "you said you were never convicted but records from the MN State Patrol say foo foo and foo. Don't lie to a border agent. You may enter the country." (all three had some sort of conviction including a DUI which is grounds for being barred from entering Canada and indecent exposure which the guy argued had been expunged). They were free to enter Canada without any further complications.
4. We were also questioned separately. They asked me 20 or so questions about why I was planning on entering Canada (we were going geocaching).
5. We were detained further as they searched our entire vehicle for the next 30 or so minutes (they didn't do this to the douchebags who LIED TO THE BORDER AGENTS). We were finally allowed to pass into Canada after nearly two hours.
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On our way home they asked to see our birth certificates, IDs, and/or passports. We were asked how long we were in Canada, why, and after explaining what geocaching was in general terms we were on our way. 10 minutes tops.
Yeah, so the US is just so much more scary. Give me a fucking break.
My own personal experience is as an electrician in NW Arkansas. It was very difficult to get a job anywhere without fluency in Spanish. That's well and good, but as I came to know the Hispanics around me, I found out that most of them - of the 12 that I worked with regularly, 10 - were illegal. I was eventually laid off from that job, and from the next in the field. This was before the downturn in the economy.
So - call me a racist if you'd like, but based upon my own personal experience, there *is* a good chance that a Latino I meet on the street is in this country illegally. Obviously, 12 people aren't a representative sample, but it was a fair look at the construction industry.
I agree the immigration system should be reformed. The only requirement for entrance into this country should be showing up at the border, at a checkpoint. The mere fact that it is difficult to enter legally does not make it right to enter illegally.
I'm a gun owner, and it is very difficult to purchase a full-auto rifle, for the same reason it is hard to get into the US --- strict laws. If it is acceptable for the immigrant to cross the border illegally, why is it not okay for me to drop and auto-sear into my AR-15?
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