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Posted by on Jun 4, 2014 in Blog, General Poker, Travel, World Series of Poker | 11 comments

Are Poker Players Being Harrassed by U.S. Customs Officials?

 

US-Customs

 

Something’s troubled me over the past year.

It’s become a more serious problem than many might realize.  Certainly, if you’re a poker player and/or you frequently travel to and from the United States, you’ve probably experienced a dramatic uptick in these kinds of annoyances.

I’m talking about the unnecessary harassment of law-abiding citizens from customs officials and border patrol agents.

 

The preponderance of incidents I’ve heard about and have come to my attention recently goes beyond troubling.  I’ve run into poker players at airport baggage carousels who told me horror stories of being questioned at long length when they arrived in the U.S.  I’ve read and heard about players, often carrying large sums of cash, getting interrogated way beyond any reasonable period of time.  Just yesterday, someone stopped me in the hallway here at the World Series of Poker and told me about being detained for three hours at a U.S. entry point for “failure to cooperate.”

The agents are often rude.  The questions they ask are accusatory.  The information they demand makes you feel like a criminal.  And frankly, it’s really none of anyone’s business where I’m going, or what you’re doing, or who’s visiting who, or how much money you are hauling around.  Worse, there’s absolutely nothing you nor I can do about it but stand there and take it because if we show the least bit of irritation, the screening process will deteriorate into a scene from “Midnight Express.”

Instead, we’re expected to submit to this abuse, and then answer “Yes Sir” or “No Ma’am” to questions that have nothing to do with “national security.”  It often seems to border on voyeurism.  For non-Americans and visitors, the level of harassment is even worse.

What’s really troubling is, these people who pass through the lines in our airports and drive through our border crossings have committed no crime.  They’ve done nothing wrong.  And yet, they’re often grilled for no reason at all.

I realize that we now live in a world where border security is a serious issue.  It’s not easy deciphering friend from foe.  The first line of defense in keeping out the bad guys must be legitimate questions asked to those who arrive in the U.S. from a foreign country.  No one denies that Homeland Security has a job to do, even though there’s some question about what they do exactly that justifies such enormous costs and the sacrifice of personal liberties.  That aside, they must be given the necessary tools to keep up safe.  This includes the process of questioning people who travel to and from the U.S.

However, incidents of harassment have become increasingly common.  And when they do happen, exceeding the bounds of reason creates increasingly more anguish and conflict.  I suspect that most readers can relate to an incident or two where they, or someone they knew, was harassed at customs, without cause.

For instance, I’ve come across multiple instances of Canadians who wanted to come and play in the WSOP but can’t because of visa issues.  They’re not from some hostile nation no one’s ever heard of.  They’re from Canada.  You know, that nation to the north that harbors all the terrorists.  Most often, these players travel around the American poker circuit, spending many days here each year, which means they also spend lots of money here in this country.  Unfortunately, that time is limited each calendar year and when a Canadian overstays the visa just a few days, they have a nearly impossible task crossing the border again.  Meanwhile, we have 15 million undocumented workers in this country and our government is giving Food Stamps to illegal aliens.  Go figure.

I’ve also heard about Canadian poker pros getting stopped and then detained because they were carrying large sums of cash.  Forget the more practical option which is to transfer money via a bank wire.  Aren’t we forgetting that this is a fundamental human right, which should allow anyone to carry whatever they want on their person, so long as what’s in their possession isn’t illegal?  Last I heard, carrying $11,000 around in cash wasn’t illegal.

Even if a traveler voluntarily files the required currency transaction report, he’s subject to questioning, and potentially even abuse.  I’ve come across numerous stories of customs officials who simply don’t believe 25-year-old kids carrying $60,000 in cash inside a knapsack, and then get detained.  Even when they reveal they’re professional poker players, this only seems to make the situation worse.  One player I know was held for hours because he was carrying a lot of money, and the customs officials didn’t believe his story.  I wonder — isn’t there a computer somewhere which would allow a customs agent to click on a poker news website, see the latest tournament results along with photos, and verify that the detainee is telling the truth?

Having traveled to and from Europe and South America many times, I can say with some certainty that U.S. Customs agents are by far the worst I’ve encountered.  And that’s really saying something coming from a white, middle-aged, American-born male.  I can only imagine what others of a different racial/national creed have to go through.

The bottom line is, the currency transaction law is a farce and should be repealed.  Forcing law-abiding citizens to fill out government forms that disclose personal financial details serves little purpose, other than further empowering the Internal Revenue Service and increasing our reliance on banks.

At this moment, no one currently standing in line at a customs entry point can speak out.  No one that’s been detained can protest.  No one who faces the prospect of having their time wasted and money confiscated can object.

So here and now, I shall.  Federal laws not only harass many law-abiding people, but the process of enforcement has also deteriorated into what can only be described as an abuse of power and a misuse of authority.

11 Comments

  1. Maybe it’s karma for all the poker dealers who just have to sit there and take all the abuse of poker sleezebags.

  2. i agree with a ton of what you’re saying but do keep in mind that when entering the country and carrying over 10k you must declare it. other than that i’m with you 100% here.

    aside from customs pestering i can give you dozens of situations where ap’s have had money and casino chips seized by domestic law enforcement agencies and these “criminals” have done absolutely nothing wrong. northern arizona, georgia, florida and texas are notorious for this type of harassment.

    some airport tsa agents will also hassle people with “large” amounts of cash although i’ve found no issues myself, be very careful at providence.

  3. Let’s not even get into the 30% withholding tax theft.

    “World” Series, my ass.

  4. Nolan, I usually love everything you write, your wit, humor and insight. However, here I feel you are way off base and taking a short sighted view. I am happy to be questioned when carrying large sums, though usually I am bright enough and foresighted enough to think ahead and wire large sums, only about 3% of poker players are. I dress appropriately and speak respectfully. Being a brash, young, money touting gambler with a hoodie, shorts, flip flops and 3 day stubble gets you nowhere.
    Here’s a simple solution: wire the fckn money or put up with a law that implicitly states that carrying over $10k requires forms and investigation. Nolan, really a bad issue to take up. Take up something that affects everyone and more onerous such as taking off ones shoes, removing shampoo from your carry on, banning nail clippers and taking a laptop out of a backpack. I’ve seen 70 year olds forced to take off their shoes and sweater. C’mon, Nolan take up some important shit.

    • barry,
      sometimes even patrons that dress and speak respectfully and declare the money are looked upon and treated as criminals. there are government officials and tsa officials that simply refuse to believe why any law-abiding citizen would have $200,000 on their person. maybe because they’re going to las vegas?????

      as for wiring the money, maybe you’re arriving after banks close and plan on playing high stakes that evening.

      there’s no reason, if declared properly, that these patrons can’t be treated with respect by government employees.

  5. great to see you wandering RIO halls

  6. You’re taking a rather short-sighted view of things; not everyone crossing the border is a legitimate as you. In 31 years of working for Customs, my crew (at a Canadian border crossing south of Montreal)intercepted many large amounts of undeclared cash that was linked to narcotics trafficking, and possibly terrorist groups. The currency reporting statute was the key to initiating an investigation, but only after the violation had been discovered by an inspector doing his or her job.

  7. I truly enjoyed reading your piece and you touched on may points that players such as myself who reside in Canada must face when entering the USA.

    But putting that aside, I do not appreciate the comment about ” Canada, the country to the North that harbors terrorists”.

    You may have been trying to make light of some situation that may have occurred, but you also had an option to omit or enter that comment. As a respecter writer in the poker community, you have with your article tried to speak on behalf of us, yet at the same time you slap us all in the face with a ridiculous statement.

    I think it would be prudent that such as comment be removed from your article as it is unnecessary and provides no additional merit to your great article.

    Thank you sincerely,

    Gigi, a poker player and fan

  8. Why is the answer- “Under $10,000” not sufficient for customs?

    This is my standard truthful answer and I always get- “How much under” or “I need an amount” or “let’s take a look”.

    Why?

    • Because you are worthless garbage that should have been arrested years ago dad. Your son who hates your guts. Shane

  9. I am a Canadian and was denied entry a couple of years ago after having never been denied or sent to secondary screening. I have a unique understanding of Customs and Border Patrol and will play the role of devil’s advocate. As unpleasant as my experience has been with CBP (caused me to miss two flights on two different occasions), they are bestowed a very important function which is the security of this country. This is not something to be taken lightly, no matter if the vast majority of travelers are law abiding.

    Law abiding citizens, foreigners, illegal aliens all pose a threat, whether it is miniscule or not. A vast majority are people who say who they are and are honest about their intentions but ignorance of the law is not justification for breaking the law. It is up to the person to understand a country’s laws before entering the country, this includes long waits and spending time in secondary and answering questions. It is hard enough for CBP whose job is to screen hundreds of people everyday. That is their career. Everyday. Hundreds of people. All with different reasons and all with different conditions that must be satisfied for entry. (If you want a more fun perspective, play the game ‘Papers, Please’.)

    The $10,000 cut-off is designed to stop illegal money activities like money laundering. Anything over must be claimed. Simple as that. A young guy with $60,000 claiming to be a poker player could be exploited by organized crime using that same excuse to transfer drug money. Do you think it is that easy to figure out a lie from the truth? Maybe people smuggle money to avoid paying taxes on gains made outside the country. I’ve never carried more than $10,000 but I read about a Florida woman who sewed $41k in her undergarments and tried to smuggle it without declaring it at DTW while traveling from the Phillipines and that money was confiscated. She said she sold her house but where is the proof? She lied to CBP and now must try to appeal to get her money back.

    But to go back to the process at customs, CBP is not your friend. They have a job to do. Their questions may feel rude or accusatory but if you are not forthcoming about you intentions, even before they ask questions, the slightest sniff of deceit will put up red flags and they are trained to suss it out. They are very good at catching you with even the slightest discrepancy and you will likely get sent to secondary. The stamp on your passport has the CBP’s ID so it is their career potentially on the line everytime they admit someone.

    If you are inconvenienced at the border and you have done nothing wrong, adjust your frame of mind from one of annoyance or persecution to one of patience. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the agent and see it from their point of view. Perhaps you won’t be so aggravated then because you can sympathize with them. As we honor the men and women of the military that fight overseas and the men and women of law enforcement who protect us, we should also honor the men and women of our Custom and Border Patrol for the job they do for us screening the good apples from the bad.

    It is what it is.

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