Lying when Entering the US

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by capstan

Ummm, nobody is going to "slap the cuffs on you" for going to Cuba, Chicken Little. It's not a jailable offense.

If you lie on the form that you must fill out when returning to the U.S., and sign that form, thereby swearing that it is the truth, then you have most certainly just committed a jailable offense. You get the fine for visiting Cuba. You get the cuffs for lying to a federal officer. Ask Martha Stewart; that's what she went to jail for.

Beyond that, you seem to have missed the point. Taking the advice of some bozo on the internet who tells you that it is okay to break the law is REALLY STUPID!

[NeptunesTrident]

Before lying, check the risk/reward ratio. If your hauling illegal(s) cargo and are making a cool million, it might be worth the risk. If you visited Cuba, not so much. Then again, smugglers never stop at port anyway.

[John A]

Originally Posted by Don1500

IKE - Because Castro pissed him off. (But JFK strengthened it)

Correct, but a violation of the Monroe Doctrine and the Latin Countries kicking Cuba out of their organization, was a bit more than pissing IKE off. But it was Kennedy, when he became concerned with the Soviet Union installing nuclear missiles in Cuba, sixty miles from the US who did the navel blockade. WMD and all that mindset.

[PhantomBoatwork]

I don't remember all of the specifics, but the skipper of an American flagged sailboat made port in Florida after a three month sail around the Caribbean. The Customs officials sequestered all of the crew members and questioned each one as to where they had been and what they had done. When one of the deck hands didn't remember the exact date of their landfalls and the order of the ports, a red flag went up and the drug squad did a stem to stern inspection of the entire boat. They found a very small amount of pot in one of the crewmembers personal affects, and the boat went into impound. The drug squad tore the boat apart looking for drug contraband, including drilling a number of 3" holes in the bulkheads and hull. There was nothing further found, but the damage done to the boat by the "inspection" was enormous, and there was nothing the skipper could do about it. Even thinking about lying to a port official in these uber-paranoid times is a VERY bad idea. My experience in dealing with government officials has been to do what they tell you to do, or they will beat the crap out of you and make you do it anyway. Let's hear it for the land of the free!! I love my country, but its government scares me!

[Cheechako]

Last I heard it WAS legal to go to Cuba. However, it was NOT legal to spend any money while there....?

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Last I heard it WAS legal to go to Cuba. However, it was NOT legal to spend any money while there....?

Not for Americans..I know an American can go to Jamaica and for 200.00 get what they call "Fish & Chips"... its RT airfare ,snorkling trip and gambling in a casino for 2 days and one night..they dont stamp your passport and its rather spooky...was to me anyway...so spooky I chickend out! DVC

[Dick Pluta]

I'm the OP on this thread and, for those of you who haven't read the whole thing, the point is that it's not difficult to physically go to Cuba. It the coming home that's the problem. When you re-enter you are required to fill out a form stating what countries you have visited. If you've been to Cuba you can:

a) Admit you were there, thereby commiting a misdemeanor that you may or may not be prosecuted for or
b) Lie (see the thread title) about being there and commit a felony.

The details, including the statute references, are elaewhere in the thread.

BTW, Obama only loosened the rules for Cuban ex-pats with family in Cuba. For the rest of us, the old rules still apply.

Dick PLuta
AEGEA

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by Dick Pluta

BTW, Obama only loosened the rules for Cuban ex-pats with family in Cuba. For the rest of us, the old rules still apply.

What about going there with a SO who's going to visit family? Maybe I can find me a little first mate in Miami to get my ticket in.

[nitroexpress]

YES! Big brother is alive and well in the US!

[PhantomBoatwork]

FWIW, there were any number of street people hawking non documented trips to Cuba from Jamaica. You got airfare, hotel and meals and they just "didn't stamp yo passport, Mon!" We were on a cruise ship and a tight schedule, but the whole thing sounded beyond "fishy". Would love to visit Cuba, have no interest in running afoul of Big Brother. If we are in an embargo with Cuba because they are a Communist country then why is China a "most favored trade partner" and one of our largest suppliers of consumer goods?

[off-the-grid]

...and all over an incident that happened long before I was even born.

Seriously what do we have against Cuba, when so many other former enemies are now allies, and when so many other countries guilty of various atrocities aren't off limits? We're even allowed to travel to the country...now countries who's nukes it was that they were going to put there.

[PhantomBoatwork]

And Fidel is nearly out of the picture, entirely. I think it was Lynden Johnson that said,"Castro is a bastard dictator, but he's OUR Bastard!"

[sarafina]

We just got an opportunity to go to Cuba in May with a vocal group...

Beyond excited about it and glad to not have to tap dance thru the challenges of visiting. We go to like 5 places...

We all are intrepid travelers and dying to go. There is stuff to figure out. Himself will need to get a passport again if he goes and if my daughter comes along she will have to work it out with professors, its SMACK in the middle of finals...

Himself is hoping to make it Isle of Pines, where his family was before Castro.

I am dying to go.

[John A]

Originally Posted by grunzster

...and all over an incident that happened long before I was even born.

Seriously what do we have against Cuba, when so many other former enemies are now allies, and when so many other countries guilty of various atrocities aren't off limits? We're even allowed to travel to the country...now countries who's nukes it was that they were going to put there.

What you're really asking fore is common sense from Those we elected.

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by John A

What you're really asking fore is common sense from Those we elected.

Good point! Rather than lie, what if I just go, and never return to the US?