Entering the US remains a risky operation with regard to the predictions of wait times at immigration. Not only do you have to have an authorization to enter the territory, Visa, ESTA, Green Card, but also, depending on the landings, the waiting lines lengh vary erratically.
To enter the US, I have a Visa which, unlike the ESTA, gives me a right of residence of 180 days whereas the ESTA only grants 90. Note that this processing of entries into the territory does not apply to US citizens who can enter Europe for 90 days on the simple presentation of a valid passport. For reasons of reciprocity, it would be normal for this to change and impose on US citizens asimilar entry process.
So on October 21, 2022, I leave Paris to join Miami via Casablanca. To make a long story short, I will skip the various steps to get the boarding passes. After a fifteen hour travel, I run into the immigration processing line. Based on the candidates’ experience, the wait is estimated at a threefold number of hours. But if Ms. Michu, believe me, says a young woman who has been through this before, it will take at least two hours. In view of the zigzags in the queue, this statement remains perfectly credible. The line moves slowly, catching the last train to Fort Lauderdale seems to be a distant dream. Scared at the idea to hire a cab from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, such an operation drains your wallet.
Suddenly, Miracle, the Security doubles the number of checkpoints by opening those reserved to the US citizens. Wait time melts like snow in Florida. In less than 15 minutes I find myself on the front line to hand my passport to the Border Patrol. The Immigration Commissioner invites me to join him to process the usual formalities.
In order to facilitate relations with this kind of unpredictable agent who has the right of life and death on my stay, I give him my passport open to the page of the visa, which on top of my photo summarizes all my marital status. Cerbère takes the passport, glances at it distracted, greets me with an unusual « Welcome Jean », without even having the precious passport fed into the terminal, adding a stamp. He hands the passeport back without asking any questions. In 5 seconds flat I can run to the next stage, reunite with my suitcase and catch my train named TriRail.
As Pierre Desproges so rightly said, « Amazing, right? » Would I have entered the United States for the first time without being registered, let’s say without my full face?