Briton detained at JFK had 'been to Iraq'

Yes to that. I once almost missed a correspondance in Miami because of these idiots. I had three hours between flights, just to make sure, and they put me in a room, waiting and waiting, for two of these three hours. They were watching the "fooball" game on TV all the while.

I was NOT EVEN ENTERING THE DAMN COUNTRY, just in transit, so they did not even have any reason to keep me but they did... They only released me when I started to call them lazy and unprofessionnal and made a big runcus in that room. I haven't travelled to or through the US ever since. **** them!

my thinking precisely

Once I flew to Chigaco and in my luggage I had bread. I had baked Norwegian bread for my mother in law. I did not know I could not take into USA.
The customs officer (a man) took it and I made a joke saying something like Please do not throw it out - baked it myself.
For WHOM?
For my mother in law
OK take it with you - this time but do not do it again.
So there are nice guys at the border too.

I told the guy at Newark that I was visiting my (then) girlfriend in Bensonhurst and he laughed and said his wife came from there. He was very friendly.

One time I flew home from Rome, a long trip; before boarding the plane I bought a salami of some sort (long time ago now, but I remember that it was expensive for Ms. Thrifty Traveler) and when I arrived at customs in the US the guy zipped the meat product right away - which annoyed me a lot, though I didn't verbalize my feelings. Since then I've learned about many products one couldn't keep. I must have looked surprised, pissed off, and sad, in that order. The customs man wasn't mean though. I wished there was some warning at the Fiumicino Airport shop, but that's silly, it's a big airport and I presume countries have variable import rules.

..Nothing like the situation that happened for Olivier, which was completely ridiculous.

I suppose that now one can google what one can import through customs of whatever country.

Meantime, I've got to check out what is happening re the 7 countries ban legality (don't get me started...).

I've never had a problem with American, (Texan) immigration/customs officers. They've always been very friendly.

Please tell me that, what I heard this morning in the news is fake news.
People from Muslim countries and also others are going to have to tell their
pass words to social medias when entering USA.

Don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Honestly - poor custums officers - have to read all the things said and look at all the pictures put into the social sites. It will tskr hours if not days to check some people.

Always good to boost the employment rate. Of course, productive employment would be better.