04-13-2017, 10:07 PM
I used to make many trips to TJ when I lived in SoCal. Things changed after 9/11. Prior to 2001, the street in San Ysidro used to be littered with crushed oxy boxes from the many travelers who had brought them back through the gate without problems.
A few years ago I made the mistake of 'declaring' my trams and they were promptly confiscated and I was put on the search and detain list so next time I went I was detained again (they found nothing at that time). After that second incident I wrote a clear and well-composed letter to DHS explaining my chronic pain problem, my lack of insurance, and lo and behold, on the 3rd try (a couple more months later) I was no longer on the search and detain list. It's probably a miracle or dumb luck that someone read my letter and had the compassion to take me off the list, or perhaps it was temporary to begin with.
A few years ago I made the mistake of 'declaring' my trams and they were promptly confiscated and I was put on the search and detain list so next time I went I was detained again (they found nothing at that time). After that second incident I wrote a clear and well-composed letter to DHS explaining my chronic pain problem, my lack of insurance, and lo and behold, on the 3rd try (a couple more months later) I was no longer on the search and detain list. It's probably a miracle or dumb luck that someone read my letter and had the compassion to take me off the list, or perhaps it was temporary to begin with.