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TEACHING, INTERPRETING,
& CHANGING LAW SINCE 1979
COMMUNITY
EXPLAINER
ILRC.ORG PG. 2
determine whether you are admissible by reviewing your advance parole
documentation. This is called an initial inspection. Secondary inspection is a separate
process from the initial inspection, where immigration officers may conduct further
verification of your documents or additional questioning. It often occurs in a different
room where CBP officers engage in further research, regularly using various online
databases holding information about your criminal and immigration background, to
verify that you are eligible for reentry. They may ask you questions about your travel
or nationality, to help determine your admissibility.
Being taken to secondary inspection is discretionary,
meaning that individual immigration officers can pick
and choose who to send to secondary inspection. After
hearing directly from community members who traveled
on advance parole, it is common for DACA recipients to
get flagged for secondary inspection. Reasons people get flagged for secondary
inspection include having a criminal record, suspicion that you might have improper
documentation, or simply being randomly selected.
Reentry with advance parole can be an anxiety-inducing experience even on the best
day with the most respectful officers. It is helpful to keep in mind that going through
secondary inspection does not mean that you will not be allowed in, it simply means
that they need to do more research. For these reasons, it is helpful to be aware of any
of the possible scenarios that could occur when you are at secondary inspection and
prepare ahead of time.
HOW DOES SECONDARY INSPECTION WORK?
An officer may direct you to another room, separate from the main CBP customs
kiosks. Likely, they will not explain how long you will be there. The room may be plain,
and it could be crowded, depending on the day. You may have to wait there for a few
minutes or several hours, depending on many factors that may not relate to your