Filing Complaints with US Government regarding mistreatment at Port of Entry (POE)

While the US government and INS/USCIS provides services in a reasonable and fair way at Port of Entry majority of the times, there are times when an immigration officer is rude or abusive. The immigration officer at any US border, represent the very first face of the United States of America, to the incoming visitor. So the immigration officer should be very courteous and service oriented. We know that their job is to safeguard and prevent the entry of any unauthorized person to the country. However, this does not give them an authorization to be rude and arrogant and mistreat visitors. An International traveller visiting the United States has to go through many hassles, such as obtaining visa, purchasing ticket, long journeys across continents or borders, security checks etc. After passing through such ordeals, a warm welcome and courteous tone at Port of Entry would not be a high expectation. If that seems to be too much to ask of the Immigration officers then at least they don't have to go out of their way to be rude and arrogant.

The US government recognizes that sometimes its employees do not provide the kind of service required, and has instituted procedures for filing complaints. While many immigrants often hesitate to file such complaints, fearing that it could result in retaliation, they are necessary to keep the INS informed about the actions of its employees, so that it can properly discipline those who need it, and so that it can institute better training programs. In this case make sure to note down the name and badge number of the Immigration Officer at Port of Entry with the exact time and date you entered US.

Complaints against the INS/USCIS can be made in a number of ways. Those sent to the Justice Department Office of the Inspector General must be made in writing and sent to the following address:

Office of the Inspector General
US Department of Justice
Investigations Division
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Room 4706
Washington, DC 20530

The OIG is the Justice Department’s internal quality control branch.

Complaints may also be filed with the INS Office of Internal Audit. These complaints must also be sent by mail. Complaints will be kept confidential, unlike those made to the OIG. The address to which complaints should be sent is:

Director, Office of Internal Audit
US Immigration and Naturalization Service
425 I St., NW
Room 3260
Washington, DC 20536

Source

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