An OMAAT reader recently had an unpleasant Global Entry experience, whereby he received a warning about his membership being revoked for an innocent mistake. He asked me for my take on the situation — I’ll share it, but I’m actually not 100% sure of the answer to his question, so I’d like to see if anyone else has experience with this.
In this post:
US CBP officer seemingly goes on a power trip
Here in the United States we have Global Entry, which is a program that offers expedited Customs & Border Protection (CBP) processing when entering the United States. Joining Global Entry requires an application fee and an interview, and of course the membership can be revoked at any point if you’re found to be in violation of the program rules.
There are many data points of memberships being revoked for things that might seem like minor infractions on the surface, but I understand why. For example, I’ve seen stories of people having their Global Entry revoked for failing to declare a banana that they took with them from the inflight meal. While I can see how that mistake could happen, it’s fair enough for there to be punishment, since you’re expected to declare fruits and vegetables, and there are no exceptions to that.
But a reader received a warning over a very different situation. He asked to remain anonymous, and for me to leave out the airport, but let me sum up what happened:
- This person has Global Entry, and was traveling as part of a group
- Only one person in the group didn’t have Global Entry, and also happened to be in a wheelchair, following an injury
- So the person with Global Entry volunteered to accompany the non-member in the wheelchair through the immigration process
- The person with Global Entry thought that they’d have to wait in the regular line, but an airport staff member pointed the two to the accessible line, which was empty, and right next to the Global Entry kiosks and lane
- Since they were in the same area, the Global Entry member decided to use one of the Global Entry kiosks, figuring it would speed things up
- When he was called up, he took the person in the wheelchair up to the desk (since the same person was working the accessible and Global Entry line), where the CBP officer was reportedly nasty, and claimed he had violated the rules and was trying to sneak a non-Global Entry person through the Global Entry line
- The CBP officer said that they would give the Global Entry member a warning, which would go on his record, and if he had another violation, he would be kicked out of the program
- He then returned to the accessible line, and a moment later was called up by the same agent, and this person processed their entry, but once again went off about how he violated the rules, etc.
Let me emphasize that the Global Entry member’s tone in his email was super nice, and it’s clear he genuinely wasn’t trying to cause any trouble, and has respect for CBP, which is why he was surprised by the reaction he received.
Are Global Entry official warnings like this a thing?
The reader asks the following questions:
I’ve had GE for almost 10 years. I’ve never had an issue and clearly did not intentionally violate the rules. I searched the web for information on what a warning was, trying to figure out if they really put it in my record and how long it stays on my record.
Let me share my take on this situation, and then I’ll open this up to y’all. Look, clearly this person had no bad intentions, and wasn’t trying to violate any rules. Now, I probably would have handled the initial situation a little bit differently, since I know that CBP officers treat the Global Entry and non-Global Entry lanes very differently, even if there’s a common person working multiple lines (as I learned firsthand from traveling with our newborn son a couple of years back).
Regardless, the CBP officer’s attitude sounds completely unprofessional, and the response seems unwarranted. Maybe they were just having a bad day.
I can totally understand an official warning being issued if someone is bringing in prohibited goods without declaring them. But it seems obvious that there was no bad intention here, and no harm done. If what he did was an issue, it seems like this would be a situation where the CBP officer could say “just so you know for the future, please don’t do XYZ.”
That brings me to the part of the question that I don’t have an answer to. Does CBP actually formally put warnings on the records of Global Entry members, with some sort of a two-strike policy? Most of the data points I’ve seen involve immediate revocation of membership, and not some sort of a two-strike system.
After all, if you violate Global Entry rules, I tend to think it’s a one-strike system. So, does anyone have any insights there, or data points to share about a similar experience? Like I said, I don’t know the answer, but I am curious.
Bottom line
A Global Entry member was threatened with an official warning, after trying to help a friend in a wheelchair through immigration. At worst, he made an honest mistake that doesn’t violate any entry rules, in terms of failing to declare goods, etc.
Nonetheless, the CBP officer seemingly took this very seriously, and claimed to issue a formal warning, with some sort of a two-strike policy. He wonders (and I’m also curious) whether this system actually exists, or whether this was just intended to intimidate.
Does anyone have experience with “official” Global Entry warnings? Are these real, and for how long do these warnings stay on your record?
I have a friend who forgot they had an apple in their carry-on that they got in Cairo. They meant to eat it on the plane back to the US. Upon arrival, they got caught by a CBP dog. While the CBP agent was extremely professional and pleasant, a warning against their Global Entry account was given. The agent said that he understood that the apple was a mistake, not an attempt to sneak it...
I have a friend who forgot they had an apple in their carry-on that they got in Cairo. They meant to eat it on the plane back to the US. Upon arrival, they got caught by a CBP dog. While the CBP agent was extremely professional and pleasant, a warning against their Global Entry account was given. The agent said that he understood that the apple was a mistake, not an attempt to sneak it in, but he issued the warning anyway.
The next year was my friend's renewal. An interview was required, despite almost all renewals don't require it. Five years later the renewal had another interview required. At that interview, they said that the apple notation on the account would be gone by the next renewal as long as another warning wasn't issued which would end her GE membership.
That renewal just came. She was renewed without an interview. It looks like the warnings last about 10 years before they're erased from the record.
I had flown from PHL to YYZ in late February one year. My passport was stamped and I had a lovely weekend in Toronto. Coming back, to my horror, I noticed that the date on the inbound stamp reflected the previous YEAR ! no I did not spend a year and 3 days in Canada. The US CBP in YYZ were beyond rude (typical of all US CBP in Canada). I nearly missed my return...
I had flown from PHL to YYZ in late February one year. My passport was stamped and I had a lovely weekend in Toronto. Coming back, to my horror, I noticed that the date on the inbound stamp reflected the previous YEAR ! no I did not spend a year and 3 days in Canada. The US CBP in YYZ were beyond rude (typical of all US CBP in Canada). I nearly missed my return flight. I had the hotel folio with me showing my arrival and check out dates which they finally acknowledged.
In theory, both persons need to be processed in the same manner, so either both go through Global Entry, or through the accessible lane, but not spilt.
This sounds like agents in MIA or JFK.
Similar crappy experience at YWG US Pre-Clearance. Nobody in line. One agent working. We make eye contact, and I assume it's OK to approach the agent so I walk over. He proceeds to berate me for not reading the sign that asks you to wait until called. OK fair enough, but the way it was handled was outrageous. So I go back to the line with the sign and wait (I'm still the only one...
Similar crappy experience at YWG US Pre-Clearance. Nobody in line. One agent working. We make eye contact, and I assume it's OK to approach the agent so I walk over. He proceeds to berate me for not reading the sign that asks you to wait until called. OK fair enough, but the way it was handled was outrageous. So I go back to the line with the sign and wait (I'm still the only one in line). He proceeds to make me wait for another 5 min then calls me over, processes me and says nothing.
Honestly, there's really little you can do in these situations. You just have to grin and take it.
Having said that, in all my years of GE, I've only had that one incident and most of the USCBP agents are actually quite pleasant, even at Newark!
Agreed. US CBP agents are almost unfailingly polite or even affable. I'm always astounded how casual they are compared to other countries. I was really stressing about crossing Peace Bridge back into the US last year because going into Canada a week before, I was detained by the usual rude CBSA thugs for my itinerary and stated intentions. The US officer at the bridge's NEXUS lane on the way back just waved me right through with a friendly "welcome home".
I got yelled at last time because P2 and I went through to different agents. There was no one else in line, and 2 agents, but the agent I went to scolded me for not staying with my travel party. We were on two different reservations. I never even knew that was a thing. Often nowadays they just yell out people's names because it goes so quick (Mark? Jill? Roger?). If they call P2 over, I guess I am supposed to go with him?
I had an interesting experience a few days ago. Did GE and joined the queue waiting to be processed. All the people ahead of me, plus myself, were wearing glasses (attending for the four-eyes convention, I assume), and the officer lectured each person ahead of me about how the glasses ruined the photo scan and caused a lot of work for him. Just before I was called up (I had already prepared my apology!) another...
I had an interesting experience a few days ago. Did GE and joined the queue waiting to be processed. All the people ahead of me, plus myself, were wearing glasses (attending for the four-eyes convention, I assume), and the officer lectured each person ahead of me about how the glasses ruined the photo scan and caused a lot of work for him. Just before I was called up (I had already prepared my apology!) another desk opened up, with a different officer who processed my global entry entry with… no comment.
(In fairness, after some research it does sound like the officer was correct, and I’ll remember for the future - but it’s never been a problem before!)
Meh, it's no different than being kicked off of a plane by a flight attendant or the pilot. If they deem you unfit to fly or have some issue with you otherwise, you can be escorted off. Global Entry is the same. Do something a CBP officer doesn't like, lose access.
My favorite GE experience was seeing a guy get pissed off at the photo machine. He cussed it out, kicked it over then the CBP agent yelled “that’s it! You’re done! No more GE for you!” And proceeded to take him away to the LAX CBP dungeons lol.
My guess is it was an empty threat in an effort to appear powerful. I doubt they have the infrastructure in place to record warnings... because as mentioned (actual) infractions tend to be immediate revocation of membership.
Another thought - An actual warning system would require some sort of report, which would take that agent out of the processing queue for a time... also likely not happening.
As retired Customs, we absolutely have the system in place to document the incident.
Remember you're auto ID'd upon entry via the facial recognition camera, so yes they can document this.
Some of those CBP officer are real assholes. I had one yelling at my child during enrollment because the finger print machine didn't work well for children with smaller hands.
Maybe it's your child that is wrong for having small hands.
Your "assholes" has the backing of Trumps' and Musk's America, and if they weren't right, would they have been elected.
Wow ok let's just drag politics into every little thing we say, eh?
Once, I didn't declare ~$500 worth of goods I bought overseas (a nice leather belt, sunglasses, and a wallet). It was under the $800 limit, so I didn't think I needed to. Got stopped, told them I had made the purchase, showed the goods and receipt, and then sent on my way. I was polite and cooperative through the process, even though the initial CBP agent was a complete dickhead, throwing all of my possessions...
Once, I didn't declare ~$500 worth of goods I bought overseas (a nice leather belt, sunglasses, and a wallet). It was under the $800 limit, so I didn't think I needed to. Got stopped, told them I had made the purchase, showed the goods and receipt, and then sent on my way. I was polite and cooperative through the process, even though the initial CBP agent was a complete dickhead, throwing all of my possessions onto the dirty floor.
A day later I got an email stating that my Global Entry was revoked for breaking the rules. Tried appealing it to no luck. Now I'm stuck using MPC, which honestly has been just as efficient.
I apply for global entry every year and every year I get denied because I have broken a rule. The oddity is, out of all my customs entries I’ve never even been to secondary screening. So I have no idea what I allegedly did, but because of it I’m also on the MPC bandwagon. I’ve written the ombudsman and they don’t even respond.
I agree that MPC usually comes out as quick or quicker.
Sorry to hear that. I go the other way and declare everything such that their eyes rolls. In fact, I like to bring a little food so that I can declare it. So if I am on a quick business trip with no time for shopping, I might grab a chocolate bar at the airport or instant coffee k-cup in the hotel room just so I can declare it.
As you now know (and I saw a similar Reddit comment) you have to declare everything - even the duty free purchases that you know are within the tax exemption limits. Now with GE via mobile app and auto facial recognition, there's no paper or digital button to fill you have to declare to the officer. I miss the paper days when I could legitimately tally up a total of something like $478.64 and I was never questioned.
Ugh, I loathe this kind of two-bit Hitler, the type of person who barks threats at travelers who make innocent mistakes. Their conduct outside work is often similar. They're obnoxious, abrasive employees, spouses, parents, and neighbours.
Went through customs at MIA at 4am a while ago. I had Global but my partner didn't at the time. Was sleep deprived and didn't know the policy and there was no one in any line so I thought my partner could walk up to the Global desk with me. Agent proceeded to spend five minutes chewing me out. Accused my partner of trying to cheat the system, said I didn't have respect for those...
Went through customs at MIA at 4am a while ago. I had Global but my partner didn't at the time. Was sleep deprived and didn't know the policy and there was no one in any line so I thought my partner could walk up to the Global desk with me. Agent proceeded to spend five minutes chewing me out. Accused my partner of trying to cheat the system, said I didn't have respect for those who had paid, was better than others, etc. Didn't threaten any ramifications but was really nasty about it. We walked 20 feet to the other empty line and went through without issue.
Contrast with UK: when my (already) wife did not yet have a British passport so was queueing in the slow lane, and I had gone through the fast lane so was waiting for her, I was told off for waiting: "In future, take her through the fast lane with you" !
I belive Schengen works similarly.
If someone brings fruit through for sure cancel Global. If you don't know the rules kick them out.
You must be fun at parties.
For the UK - the entire traveling group needs to clear immigration together, as I was informed similar by the UK Border agent.
US Customs Agents are some of the most unprofessional in the world. I have seen them act outrageously, filled with pompous self-importance and secure in the knowledge that nobody will hold them accountable.
@Mark: That has not been my experience. Every US customs and immigration officer that I have ever met returning to the USA have been nothing but professional. Now, I can't say that about Australia.
Was the CBP a Mexican?
WTH - Seriously?
He would be a US Citizen working for CBP - so a US Citizen
You want to ask if he wasn't white, right?
I dug this out from my old emails, it does make mention of penalties or revocation from the program for violations;
https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/globalentry-info-guide.pdf
I had a similar thing happen to me. My wife and I who both have Global Entry were returning from a trip to Mexico to a medium sized US airport. I had recently renewed mine but my wife’s had expired 2 months prior which she didn’t realize. We used separate kiosks and hers did not flag anything and said to proceed, but when we got to the agent we were together and I received a...
I had a similar thing happen to me. My wife and I who both have Global Entry were returning from a trip to Mexico to a medium sized US airport. I had recently renewed mine but my wife’s had expired 2 months prior which she didn’t realize. We used separate kiosks and hers did not flag anything and said to proceed, but when we got to the agent we were together and I received a warning for going through the line with someone that did not have valid Global Entry, my wife however did not get a warning and was able to renew that week with instant approval. I guess I took one for the team.
If a family member brings a piece of fruit or other violation, your GE can be revoked even if the family member went through a different airport and in a different month or year. It is collective punishment designed on the theory that one bad apple means the rest of the family is also dishonest, which might have some truth to it.
Customs officials are dicks all day long. Just blinking too hard can get you a telling-off. Also don’t expect logic or empathy to feature in any situation - including this one.
100%. My spouse (we are both US citizens) made a light comment of liking the safety of Ireland when at the GE CBP agent at DUB Preclearance (admittedly not sure why she decided to share that). CBP agent challenged her as to why she apparently didn't love America.
If necessary, the reader should be able to escalate to the CBP Ombudsman if it actually becomes an issue down the road.
Joke is on you -- the orange fool in the white house fired the ombudsmen