immigration

Tag Archives for immigration.

Proposed U.S. Covid-19 Testing Requirement Will Strand Americans Abroad

by Gary Leff on December 31, 2020

Dec 31 2020

An American citizen presenting themselves at the border is entitled to enter the country. They can be questioned, searched, and required to quarantine as a public health measure. But as a general matter citizens cannot be denied entry into the country.

Here the government places a requirement on airlines to prevent citizens from presenting themselves at the border. You can’t even get tested in much of the world. And there are few places where you’re allowed to go enroute in order to stop for a test.

It’s Easy To Enter The U.S. Illegally, And Not Even Mean To Do It

by Gary Leff on December 20, 2020

Dec 20 2020

Usually a airline employee – not a government official – is all that stands in the way of a plane load of arriving passengers becoming illegal immigrants.

Terminal D at Dallas Fort-Worth is the international terminal, but it’s used for domestic flights too. Whether or not you’re directed to immigration and customs depends on which doors are open or closed when you get off the aircraft.

Flight Attendants Are Already Getting Vaccinated, And Governments Aren’t Ready

by Gary Leff on November 13, 2020

Nov 13 2020

Each country will take a somewhat different approach to dealing with passengers that have received Covid-19 vaccinations, and the challenge is coming sooner than later (in fact it’s already here).

U.S. May Require All Foreign Visitors To Submit Biometrics Before Applying For An ESTA Or Visa

by Gary Leff on October 28, 2020

Oct 28 2020

The federal government is looking to require foreign visitors and prospective immigrants to submit “fingerprints and possibly other biometric information..into a new database” prior to being permitted to submit online visa applications and even ESTA requests.

Thailand’s Tourism Re-Opening Plan Includes Following Visitors 24/7, Banning Contact With Locals

by Gary Leff on October 13, 2020

Oct 13 2020

Remember Thailand’s ridiculous tourism visa scheme? Turns out that no one even applied. It’s been called off, and leadership is back developing a new plan: Assign someone to follow around each tourist, and make sure they don’t have contact with any Thai people.

Maldives Launches ‘Border Miles’ Rewards Program

by Gary Leff on September 30, 2020

Sep 30 2020

The principles of loyalty marketing can be applied across industries, and the basics are very much the same: recognition (elite benefits) and reward (redemption). While the most successful programs have been in travel – airlines have turned their marketing programs from a cost center into a profit engine – loyalty marketing is important to anywhere consumers make repeated choices.

The Maldives is trying something new with a destination rewards program with three elite levels. Here’s hoping they offer status matches!

US Immigration Wants To Collect DNA Samples, Iris Scans, And Voice Prints From 50% More People

by Gary Leff on September 12, 2020

Sep 12 2020

A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking has been published by the Department of Homeland Security authorizing a significant increase in biometric information that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be able to collect.

The government redefines biometric to include behavioral characteristics along with biological characteristic that can be used to identify someone. And it outlines new types of biometrics that they plan to authorize themselves to collect.

Federal Government Admits It’s Too Incompetent To Know Who Should Get Global Entry, Who Shouldn’t

by Gary Leff on September 10, 2020

Sep 10 2020

The federal government submitted false statements in court to defend terminating global entry applications for New Yorkers. Now the government said they just didn’t know what they were talking about when making the claims, rather than intentionally lying.

The real question here is whether’s it’s a bigger problem if the federal government lies to the courts, or if the people responsible for trusted traveler programs do not know what information they’re receiving, or what information they need, in order to determine eligibility?

Starting Monday, Europe Flights Will Again Be Allowed At Any U.S. Airport

by Gary Leff on September 9, 2020

Sep 09 2020

The U.S. currently only permits 15 airports to receive flights from Europe (including the U.K.), China, or Brazil. That’s because passengers arriving on flights from these places are supposed to be specially screened for Covid-19, since they along with Iran are deemed high risk areas. This policy will be lifted on Monday, September 14.

New Government Report Shows Marriott, Hilton And Choice Hotels Used As Immigration Detention Centers

by Gary Leff on August 30, 2020

Aug 30 2020

Last month Hilton came under fire for housing children in the process of being deported by the United States. The chain told hotels they shouldn’t accept these bookings. Now we learn that children were being held in even more Hilton, Marriott, and Choice hotels than we thought.

At least 660 children have been held in hotels enroute to deportation. Most were unaccompanied by parents. According to the government “it cannot allow children to stay in the U.S. due to the coronavirus pandemic.”