Us preclearance

joseywhales

I had a strange experience today with Delta leaving Dublin. I'm Irish and I also have a green card. I got through us preclearance without issue. I was then asked to come to the gate to show my passport, then my green card to the delta person. I had entered all of this info the day before for online check in.

Then....when I came back to the gate to board I was asked to wait to the side to answer some questions.

This guy, holding my Irish passport asked me what I had been doing in Ireland.....

What absolute circus is this?

First of all, the entire flight had already been precleared, so delta is absolved of any responsibility to check documentation beyond identity verification.

Secondly, he is asking me about Ireland? I am leaving Ireland and I am Irish and he is not gardai or irish border control, so like I was a bit upset, he has no right to ask me these questions but I put it down to complete incompetence. Does anyone have any possible justification for this? I found it very weird, do they not know we are all precleared and are leaving Ireland(not entering) and that they are not police?

Snorlaxx

From going to the US annually I would put it down to a few things:

1. IMO Delta are the second worst airline in the US, so as you said total incompetance
2. Possible "Power trip" by the employee
3. Could the employee have been an air marshal so they were just doing further checks?

Either way, it does soyund strange, but I wouldnt take it personally

micosoft

Did you ask who "the guy" worked for? It could have been Delta, or it could have been TSA or it could have been a number of other entities.

Broadly speaking Airlines are liable for making sure Pax have a right to travel and are responsible for returning Pax denied entry. They aren't absolved of any of that stuff even with preclearance.

Feel free to complain to Delta but ultimately if this is the most upsetting thing that happens to you in air travel be glad. 90% of the world have much worse experiences than the privilege of holding an EU passport and a Green Card for the US.

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475419#Comment_119475419

But why would they need to know what I was doing in Ireland when I am leaving the country? It is overstepping their authority. For me it is the equivalent of stopping a guy in the street in Dublin and asking him what was his business in Ireland. He is already in the country and he has a right to be there and not to be questioned. Questions about access to the us I would have understood because I am entering that jurisdiction and I'm not a citizen there.

I'm also curious as to how I can be denied entry after being approved entry by the us cbp? Like who else is going to deny my entry?

steve-o

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475552#Comment_119475552

Why you were in Ireland and how long you were here matters with respect to your green card. Were you traveling back to the US on the same ticket that you used to fly to Ireland? If not, that will raise flags that may need to be clarified by the airline to cover their ass (border protection will know when you left the US, but the airline may not)

Jacovs

For all the US airline flights departing Dublin there are agents before check-in who asks everyone questions while they are in the check-in line. They are ICTS agents who are contracted by the airlines to do it, as far as I know it is compulsory. They more or less profile you, just by asking general questions about where you are going, or how long you have been here and what you got up to. They look for inconsistencies or nervous behavior. They then stick a little red/white ICTS sticker on the back of your passport with the date.

If for some reason they missed you at check-in, or people who check-in online and go straight to boarding gate, then the person at the boarding gate will check if the sticker is present on the passport to confirm this "interview" has taken place. If not, they hand the passport to an ICTS agent who is at the gate and they conduct the "interview" right there before you can board.

There is nothing strange about it, it happens every day on nearly every US airline flight leaving Dublin.

endofrainbow

Maybe you were flagged for a secondary screening. Happens a lot more than we hear about. Was there SSSS on your boarding card by any chance ?

A few years ago, we had additional checks on the jetway. It's part and parcel of traveling nowadays, particularly to the States.

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475691#Comment_119475691

Ah this was definitely it. I've done the flight 3 times per year for the last 12 years but always aer lingus, first time with delta, they happened to be cheaper this time. I never had this happen,though now you mention it I do remember having a sticker put on my passport the few times I had to actually check in in person, I almost always check in online , never check bags and just go straight through security without talking to anyone. So I guess that is why. Seems pointless to me, I have put in all the details of passport and green card, had 7 passport identity checks before this point from various security and was admitted by us border control but somehow need some guy to check if I'm nervous also. Well anyway good to know it's normal procedure, I guess they can just keep adding more and more redundant checks.

joseywhales

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119475601#Comment_119475601

It was a week, a return flight. I think it was an icts check as mentioned above. Private security employed by the airline I think. I mean fine then, the guy didn't identify himself just started asking me questions as far as I was concerned he was a human in a high vis jacket with no authority. I mean if us border guards are happy they can all rest assured.