my cousin was deported from Dallas

[dazed'nconfused 14]

5 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Don’t you guys get nervous traveling with so much cash?! 

 

this press release from CBP indicates they only seize cash (I’m assuming other than obviously illicit activities) if it’s not reported at the $10k level. So again, for that amount, there has to be something “more to the story”. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-makes-cash-seizures  (also the press release does not mention refusing entry to these people ...)

 

 

No. Am I meant to?  I mean, it's not like I carry it with me all the time - as soon as I've arrived at my hotel (if I've got an overnight stop) or partner's place, I take out enough for a few days and then the rest goes into the hotel safe or the fire-safe.    

I figure I might be in the minority here, and it's probably related to the fact that I'm apparently a unicorn in my group of friends in that I've never once as a woman, felt unsafe walking alone at night in a city - apparently this is not a normal thing and my friends suggest that it's not normal at all. 

[geowrian 22,336]

I would be nervous carrying that much money with me anywhere. I've only ever done so a few times, and that was for a few hours at a time (all domestically). While I don't feel unsafe and take basic precautions to stay safe, even that slight risk of getting robbed while carrying so much money just seems grossly unnecessary. I use a card most of the time, and if I'm in a country where card is not common, I use ATMs to take out the small amounts I need for like a week at a time.

Edited May 4, 2018 by geowrian

[NJI751 12]

5 hours ago, Roel said:

I saw in on the Border Security show - they have US, Canada and Australia versions. It really nicely shows how border officers works.

God knows how many hours I have wasted watching all those episodes. 

[Unidentified 2,930]

1 hour ago, SusieQQQ said:

Don’t you guys get nervous traveling with so much cash?! 

 

this press release from CBP indicates they only seize cash (I’m assuming other than obviously illicit activities) if it’s not reported at the $10k level. So again, for that amount, there has to be something “more to the story”. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-makes-cash-seizures  (also the press release does not mention refusing entry to these people ...)

 

 

Yeah I would never travel with that much cash on me. If it wasn't for my husband telling me I should at least keep $20 in my wallet for emergencies I would not even carry cash. Felt pretty pathetic once at the airport, I think it was the time I was paroled into the country and had to go through secondary and CBP asked me if I had any cash on me and I replied I had 5 maybe 10 bucks  Not near any sums you see/hear about on any episodes of Border Patrol. 

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

1 hour ago, SusieQQQ said:

Don’t you guys get nervous traveling with so much cash?! 

 

Well, it can add a bit of stress, but depends on how you used to carry large amounts of cash on you and what other options are. In Russia cash is still very common, and when I was working there for some private business (nothing illegal), I often had to carry amounts equivalent to a few grands USD with me because our partners sometimes for various reasons would prefer to either receive, either make large payments with cash, so carrying $3-5 grands on me is a bit stressful but nothing new.

Also, transferring money over the border other ways can be less appealing than cash. For example, wire transfers from Russia to the US require supplemental documentation with notarized translation and often take a few business days to process, and many other ways have high fees, so if you need to bring a few thousands over the border, cash in the pocket is often the best option.

 

- Victor from Russia

[Miss M 54]

2 minutes ago, Amy_and_Victor said:

Well, it can add a bit of stress, but depends on how you used to carry large amounts of cash on you and what other options are. In Russia cash is still very common, and when I was working there for some private business (nothing illegal), I often had to carry amounts equivalent to a few grands USD with me because our partners sometimes for various reasons would prefer to either receive, either make large payments with cash, so carrying $3-5 grands on me is a bit stressful but nothing new.

Also, transferring money over the border other ways can be less appealing than cash. For example, wire transfers from Russia to the US require supplemental documentation with notarized translation and often take a few business days to process, and many other ways have high fees, so if you need to bring a few thousands over the border, cash in the pocket is often the best option.

 

- Victor from Russia

 

Agreed. I come from a place where cash is still very common (even for large transactions) and most people keep cash in their homes because if you bank it, it's hard to withdraw it (there are stringent daily limits); foreign currency is hard to come by within the banking system and so most people traveling abroad will have huge sums of cash on them. International transaction fees on credit cards are atronomical, too, which adds to many people's decision to carry cash.

I know Zimbabwe's economy is pretty unique in many ways, but I would imagine there are many countries in which cash is more commonplace than cards and people are just so used to cash transactions and carrying around large amounts.

 

[SusieQQQ 11,585]

1 hour ago, dazed'nconfused said:

No. Am I meant to?  I mean, it's not like I carry it with me all the time - as soon as I've arrived at my hotel (if I've got an overnight stop) or partner's place, I take out enough for a few days and then the rest goes into the hotel safe or the fire-safe.    

I figure I might be in the minority here, and it's probably related to the fact that I'm apparently a unicorn in my group of friends in that I've never once as a woman, felt unsafe walking alone at night in a city - apparently this is not a normal thing and my friends suggest that it's not normal at all. 

I just personally wouldn’t risk losing that much to a pickpocket or bagsnatcher - and they’ve had people do this on planes  too - for the sake of saving a few $$ fees. Why don’t you just open a US bank account?! Or get a credit card that doesn’t charge fx fees and use it for cash withdrawals, or just for um actually paying for stuff? Anyway whatever, it’s not really relevant, OP’s cousin presumably wasn’t just innocently carrying  cash or it wouldn’t have been confiscated.

Edited May 4, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[dazed'nconfused 14]

14 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

I just personally wouldn’t risk losing that much to a pickpocket or bagsnatcher - and they’ve had people do this on planes  too - for the sake of saving a few $$ fees. Why don’t you just open a US bank account?! Or get a credit card that doesn’t charge fx fees and use it for cash withdrawals, or just for um actually paying for stuff? Anyway whatever, it’s not really relevant, OP’s cousin presumably wasn’t just innocently carrying  cash or it wouldn’t have been confiscated.

I've tried opening a US bank account - none of the local ones will do it without a SSN and while Capital One apparently will do it, the closest branch/office where I can open one is apparently more than 6 hours drive away, assuming that the branch locator is accurate.  Hopefully we will find the time to stop in to one this visit when we are in Atlanta.

Definatley agree that OP's cousin was doing something wrong. CBP isn't going to confiscate without a reasonable suspicion that something dodgy is going on. 

[chi6488 93]

Its not that big deal to travel with cash.  I traveled 3 trips to vietnam last year to spend time with my fiance.   Each trip I took about $6000 in $100 bills.   I travel with a backpack as carry on.   I have two locks for two compartments.  Not once have I had a problem.  

 

Now I don't go showing the money.  I still  have a wallet but the big amount is locked up in back pack with my laptop and electronics.  Why would anyone think I am carrying the money??

 

Vietnam is a cash basis country still.  My fiance will probably travel with over 5k next week to the US and her money will be locked up in her carry on as well

[George & Roth 1,485]

10 hours ago, chi6488 said:

Its not that big deal to travel with cash.  I traveled 3 trips to vietnam last year to spend time with my fiance.   Each trip I took about $6000 in $100 bills.   I travel with a backpack as carry on.   I have two locks for two compartments.  Not once have I had a problem.  

 

Now I don't go showing the money.  I still  have a wallet but the big amount is locked up in back pack with my laptop and electronics.  Why would anyone think I am carrying the money??

 

Vietnam is a cash basis country still.  My fiance will probably travel with over 5k next week to the US and her money will be locked up in her carry on as well

8

Cambodia, which is more cash-based than Vietnam I wired over $6K to my fiance bank account. Then we used it as we pleased.

 

The reason to carry that much cash into Vietnam is beyond me, certainly can't be to save the minimal wire fee. I lived in that region from 2012-2016. 

[ramesesthe2nd 149]

Althought I am not defending his entry denial, BP propbably had good reasons to not let him in, how is $5,000 a lot of money to visit a first world country? I went for a work trip to MN last week and three days stay was $1,100 (including airfare). $5,000 is hardly drug kind of money. I have also gone to several countries with more than $5,000 in cash, because I was afraid my credit card won't work there. 

Edited May 5, 2018 by ramesesthe2nd

[Boiler 43,714]

Op went missing, what a surprise.

[Chris Duffy 1,256]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 1:23 PM, Sunnyland said:

They surely thought his plan was not visit but staying at his cousin's house for a good long time. Money not declared was the tip of the iceberg.

Why would he declare it?

 

Is it asked for if you are a non us citizen?

 

I was under the impression you only had to declare if over 10K USD

 

[SusieQQQ 11,585]

15 minutes ago, Chris Duffy said:

Why would he declare it?

 

Is it asked for if you are a non us citizen?

 

I was under the impression you only had to declare if over 10K USD

 

That’s correct and precisely why the confiscation is so interesting, it’s obviously suspected to be criminal. No other reason CBP would be able to confiscate it as it’s under the must-declare amount.

[Pumpkin 24]

I'm really curious to how this all played out. I've visited the US multiple times (every year in my college years and every other year after that) on a Tourist Visa and usually with more or less $5,000 in cash (which I deposit into my bank account as soon as I get the chance) and I've never had problems before. I don't even bother declaring it. They always ask me at POE how much I have on me and I tell them but never had problems with that before. My guess is your cousin got denied entry for other reasons. Like giving a questionable.suspicious answer to whatever other question the officer asked him/her during entry.