Border Crossing

So, lots of SW discussing travel right now.

Because people are being stopped and sent home.

What is happening?

There is a lot of rumour about escortad sites providing records to Gvt bodies.

There is talk of Facial Recognition comparing faces to adverts.

And by adverts, we also mean online porn and Only Fans and social media.

We don’t really know.

What we DO KNOW is that in almost all countries that give much of a damn about their borders (so, the rich ones), if Border Person SUSPECTS you might be intending to work, they can stop you, detain you, and send you home.

They DO NOT need proof.

You generally have no legal protection, (you is a foreigner, not a citizen. You are entitled to be given food, water and not beaten up, but that’s about it), and if you want to dispute the deportation, you do that from back home, using the law to seek redress. But, you’re back home. Your trip was ruined.

IF you are making the trip in breach of their laws, well, Border Peeps did their job.

FWIW, the USA in particular seems to have incredibly tight definitions of work – IANAL but it looks like even collabs are work. (And if you collab, the US side has your ID and under US law can be asked to provide it, and then your passport is in the Border Keep Them Out Software.) All you can do is pray you are not on a flagging system, and if you get pulled for other reasons, make sure your story, your phone, and your luggage all fit. Oh yeah, your phone. Not got one? Border people will assume you have something to hide. Not got social media? Border people will assume you wiped it because something to hide. Your story is a holiday but no hotels booked and no itinery or list of places to see, oh dear. Your story is a beachside AirBnB but your clothes are Vegas? Oops. Toys? just leave them at home.

But HOLIDAY! (Or other genuinely not working trip)

If you are on the system and flagged, it’s probably game over. You’re barred, you can’t come in.

If you are NOT on a system, but have simply been pulled for either random selection OR “something off”, you have a chance. Your entire being, your phone (and it’s social media) and the contents of your suitcase must completely match the reason for your trip.

So, holiday. If you are going on holiday you’ll be able to answer questions about where you will be staying, what you will be seeing, how you will be getting around. You’ll have hotels or AirBNB booked, (and proof thereof), or the phone number of the friend you’ll be staying with. You’ll be keen and enthusiastic about your plan to hire an open top Caddy and drive to The Grand Canyon. You’ll know all the stuff that a tourist spending serious money on their holiday will know. If you don’t know it, the Border Person will decide they don’t believe you.