EXPIRED PASSPORT NORTHBOUND

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Quote U.S. Customs, Special Agent...

"We could care less if the passport is expired. All we're interested in is proof that you are a US citizen"

Live & Learn Dept...

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Quote from Port Director POE Tecate CA.

"We give the agents in the booths a lot of discretionary latitude"

[moisheh]

Russ's posts illustrate how the border personnel actually have a lot of power. They often make their own rules. To call a caravan a commercial vehicle is ludicrous! I was at the Nogales crossing about 3 year ago. Lots of construction. They had built a temporary chain link fence with the barbed wire brackets installed backwards. The fence was not straight . As I entered the brackets scraped the top of the left side of the unit. The Jersey barriers prevented me from moving to the right. I stopped immediately to assess the situation. 3 Gestapos came up to my unit and told me to move ahead. I told him I cannot as my unit will be damaged. He gave me a choice: You will either move ahead or we are going to arrest you and have a tow truck move your unit. I moved and it cost my insurance company $10,000. I later learned that a 5th wheel also damaged his unit. Later that week the fence was moved!

Moisheh

[bob_nestor]

Ozlander wrote:
I never figured out how a passport is invalid just because it ran out of money.

The same way you loose all knowledge on how to drive a car when your driver's license expires.

Someone also wrote that they can get across the border with a valid driver's license. In many border States they have incorporated the Passcard into the driver's license making it possible to cross with just your driver's license. This only works on land and possibly cruse ship crossings though, just like a Passcard.

[Turtle-Toad]

Dakota98 wrote:

Turtle-Toad wrote:

Dakota98 wrote:
Any major CC & a registered voter card should work ? :B :h :R

Should work for what? It definitely will not get you back across the border! And it won't get you a passport either. I almost missed my ship down in Rio de Janeiro because I couldn't come up with a birth certificate. The U.S. State Department wouldn't even accept my military ID even though the US Code clearly states that, for an officer or CWO in the Navy or Coast Guard, all that was needed for proof of citizenship was an active duty military I.D. When I confronted them with their own rules they just shrugged it off with the statement "well that's not the way we do business".

It was a JOKE !!!! :S

Oh! Well,......never mind.

[Dakota98]

Turtle-Toad wrote:

Dakota98 wrote:
Any major CC & a registered voter card should work ? :B :h :R

Should work for what? It definitely will not get you back across the border! And it won't get you a passport either. I almost missed my ship down in Rio de Janeiro because I couldn't come up with a birth certificate. The U.S. State Department wouldn't even accept my military ID even though the US Code clearly states that, for an officer or CWO in the Navy or Coast Guard, all that was needed for proof of citizenship was an active duty military I.D. When I confronted them with their own rules they just shrugged it off with the statement "well that's not the way we do business".

It was a JOKE !!!! :S

[mexicoruss]

MM49 wrote:

mexicoruss wrote:
MM49 thats BS. There is no room for a large fine.

On edit I will add........3 weeks ago I was told by a US border agent at the Lukeville Port of Entry when I asked...."can we move the barriers for this caravan of 19 rigs so we don't have to snake through the super tight "s" curves" please? His response was priceless, "#1 he said, I can fine you for bringing these large rigs through this crossing, these are considered by me to be commercial vehicles and this is a tourist crossing, and #2 you will have to speak to my supervisors about the moving of the barriers". That was BS too.

#1, All of the barriers were removed for us, none of the coaches were searched and #2 what part of RV doesn't say Tourist (recreational vehicle)? But he had the badge and the gun so it made him the ruler in his mind. At the end of the day though his little cocky butt was shot down by reason - point is don't believe everything you hear from the man. Sometimes it is made up on the fly. Be reasonable my friends.

I wouldn't want to be in your caravan. I travel mostly for business. I can run into 12 hour delay just because the agent on duty doesn’t like the nationality of one of the people in our party. The male Mexican machismo model doesn’t cut it in most locations.
MM49

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want you in my caravan so no worries.

[MM49]

mexicoruss wrote:
MM49 thats BS. There is no room for a large fine.

On edit I will add........3 weeks ago I was told by a US border agent at the Lukeville Port of Entry when I asked...."can we move the barriers for this caravan of 19 rigs so we don't have to snake through the super tight "s" curves" please? His response was priceless, "#1 he said, I can fine you for bringing these large rigs through this crossing, these are considered by me to be commercial vehicles and this is a tourist crossing, and #2 you will have to speak to my supervisors about the moving of the barriers". That was BS too.

#1, All of the barriers were removed for us, none of the coaches were searched and #2 what part of RV doesn't say Tourist (recreational vehicle)? But he had the badge and the gun so it made him the ruler in his mind. At the end of the day though his little cocky butt was shot down by reason - point is don't believe everything you hear from the man. Sometimes it is made up on the fly. Be reasonable my friends.

I wouldn't want to be in your caravan. I travel mostly for business. I can run into 12 hour delay just because the agent on duty doesn’t like the nationality of one of the people in our party. The male Mexican machismo model doesn’t cut it in most locations.
MM49

[2oldman]

So he could actually care less?

[silversand]

This is a guarantee in the US Constitution. If that was not the case what would happen if you were in Europe and got your passport stolen? Would you then have to live in Europe for the rest of your life because you don't have the proper papers to reenter the USA?

IF your passport is stolen abroad, and you try and board a plane back to North America, you will be refused (at pre-boarding). If your passport is stolen abroad, you proceed directly to the closest US Consulate (, or, if you are lucky, to the Embassy, if you are in a Capital city), where you apply for a TEMP passport. Then, you can board your plane home. Same for ground travel: if stolen, go directly to closest Consulate, and get your TEMP passport.

The above is for a stolen passport. It makes things easier if you have a good quality photocopy of your passport (and, photocopy your entry visa or stamp IF gotten at port of entry).

Above is also the procedure for a Canadian stolen passport situation.

[Ozlander]

I never figured out how a passport is invalid just because it ran out of money.

[westernrvparkow]

Just because a quote came out of a custom agent's mouth, doesn't automatically make it official US policy. I once had a custom agent tell me "Have a good day" after getting some dental work and then I proceeded to stop at the Casino just inside the US border near Yuma and lost about $1500.00. I didn't have a good day. Should I call my congressman and ask them to recover my losses and get me some compensation for the tooth pain?. BTW, if he said "exactly" what the OP said, "We could care less", that means there are issues that are of less importance to Customs and Immigration than expired passports, so that issue does have some significance. If they truly weren't concerned, the exact quote would have been "we couldn't care less".

[MEXICOWANDERER]

"Once upon a time there was a little girl named Alice"

Ya never want to tell fish-whoppers in a place where the people know the fish...

[mexicoruss]

MM49 thats BS. There is no room for a large fine.

On edit I will add........3 weeks ago I was told by a US border agent at the Lukeville Port of Entry when I asked...."can we move the barriers for this caravan of 19 rigs so we don't have to snake through the super tight "s" curves" please? His response was priceless, "#1 he said, I can fine you for bringing these large rigs through this crossing, these are considered by me to be commercial vehicles and this is a tourist crossing, and #2 you will have to speak to my supervisors about the moving of the barriers". That was BS too.

#1, All of the barriers were removed for us, none of the coaches were searched and #2 what part of RV doesn't say Tourist (recreational vehicle)? But he had the badge and the gun so it made him the ruler in his mind. At the end of the day though his little cocky butt was shot down by reason - point is don't believe everything you hear from the man. Sometimes it is made up on the fly. Be reasonable my friends.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

"Ah did not have --- with that woman! It depends on the meaning of the word 'is' "

My interest was to quote verbatim what a US Customs Special Agent told me. Wasn't intended to appear to be a ruling by the ninth circuit court of appeals...