To Them, Immigrants Are A One-Way Street

Airport | Right | March 30, 2017

(My friends and I are traveling to Cabo San Lucas for a bachelorette party at a resort. While on the plane, the flight attendants repeatedly make announcements to all the guests (both verbally walking down the halls and over the PA) that they have to fill out two forms in order to get through the international airport. One is for customs and one for immigration. They also state if we lose the bottom portion of our custom forms we will be fined $50 USD and if we do not fill out everything to completion we will be charged an additional $50 USD fee. They made these announcements for a good thirty minutes before we land. Upon arrival, we are all waiting in line for immigration. There is a middle-aged couple in front of me who I recognize was on the same flight as I was. They go up to the customs agent with a blank form.)

Customs Agent: “Excuse me, señor, señora, please step to the left and fill out your form before moving back to the line.”

Wife: “WHAT?! WHY DO WE HAVE TO FILL OUT THIS FORM? I’M NOT F****** FILLING IT OUT! I’M F****** AMERICAN! I’M NOT AN IMMIGRANT!”

Customs Agent: “Señora, we are in Mexico, not America; you will need to fill out the form and return to the line.”

Wife: “THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! I REFUSE TO BE TREATED LIKE AN IMMIGRANT! I’M F****** AMERICAN! DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT?!”

(The lady is causing such a ruckus that it is holding up the line, as every other customs agent and traveler has stopped what they are doing to stare. Someone several feet behind us in line shouts:)

Other Passenger: “For f*** sake, lady, move out of the way so the ones who paid attention can f****** leave!”

(Eventually, her husband, who was silent the whole time, maneuvers her off to the left to fill out the form all the while she’s screaming about being an American and not needing to go through customs and how no one told her she was required to fill out the form. I thought that was the one and only idiot who wasn’t paying attention until the bride in our party came up to me several minutes later looking confused and saying “Hey, did you know you have to fill out the whole form?!”)

This story is part of our Terrible Airline Passengers roundup!