The following post was submitted on CaliforniaRSOL’s site:

 

 

First, I would like to thank everyone for their informative posts regarding the denial of entry of ports of entry. I was convicted of a lewd offense (Indecent Solicitation of a Child; Felony) in July 2003. The offense involved talking about having sex with a person who portrayed to be 14 but was a decoy police officer. My actions were stupid and I paid a hefty price for my poor chatroom sexual conduct. In addition to my sentence, I was required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years in accordance to state law. I am no longer a registered sex offender because my 10 year registration period has expired.

Since my conviction, I have traveled internationally extensively to numerous countries as well as done business in China on a special visa without ever having any problems. However, to my big surprise, in July 2014, my visa to continue to live and do business in China was rejected and I was issued an order in my passport to leave by a certain day. I left China on the same because I was already schedule to travel back to the U.S. on the same day I found out my visa renewal was rejected. I applied for a China tourist visa in August to get back to China but that was also rejected. I attempted to travel back to China for 72 hours (visa exempt) with an onward flight to a third country destination (traveling to a third country destination is a requirement to land in China visa exempt for 72 hours) I was denied entry into China and sent back to the U.S. When arriving at the airport in China, my name was called over the airplane’s PA system for me to come to the front of the plane and that they could not deplane until I came to the front of the plane. As I was walking up the isle to the front of the plane as everyone was standing in the isle waiting to get off the plane, 2 Chinese immigration officers were walking towards me down the isle to meet me, which then they escorted me off the plane and into a small room. The officers informed me that I am not allowed to travel to China and I was told that I am being sent back to the U.S. I remained sitting in the small room being watched by 2 officers while other officers rechecked my luggage and checked me into the next departing American Airlines flight. Officers returned to the room with a boarding pass and checked luggage claim tickets and escorted me back upstairs to the departure gate and on to the American Airlines flight. The whole ordeal lasted for about 2.5 hours from the time I arrived at the airport. I was in China for several years and never broke any laws there but now I have been blacklisted from China as result of an INTERPOL Notice provided to Chinese law enforcement authorities.

In less than 7 days after I was sent back to the U.S. from China, I traveled to Bangkok, Thailand where I have traveled on numerous occasions for vacation since my conviction. When I arrived at the airport in Bangkok, there were people standing outside the gate holding up a sign with my name. I approached them which then they presented a police officer badge and had me get on an airport mobile. I was escorted by 4 Thai officers on an airport mobile to a small room. When on the airport mobile, one of the officers sitting behind me showed me the notice which was issued by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) stating that I am a convicted sex offender and that I am traveling to Thailand with the intent to recommitting a crime against children. I was shocked, humiliated and embarrassed. My photo was taken with a mobile phone by one of the officers and I had to sign a document stating that I was being denied entry into Thailand. The immigration officer put a big denial stamp in my passport. I was then escorted to a detention room where I was going to be locked into a windowless room with steel bunk bed and other inmates. I insisted to call someone that what was happening to me was a mistake. I was only able to speak with an airline representative. After talking with the airline representative for almost 1 hour I was able to book a return flight to the U.S. with my credit card (Full Economy Fare) that prevented me from being put in a detention room. I was scared and totally upset. The airline representative came down to the room with my boarding pass and I was then escorted upstairs to the boarding gate.

I was able to confirm that ICE has office housed in U.S. Embassies around the globe. In addition to INTERPOL issuing notices on sex offenders, ICE is also doing it from their field offices. I talked directly with the officer at the U.S. Embassy ICE office in Bangkok who issued my notice and told me he can do it because the conviction is open source information. The officer also told me that it up to Thai authorities on whether they want to admit me or not. Well..DUH…no country is going to admit a person with derogatory information that was in the notice he provided.

Though I had one run-in with the law in my life, I have good character and I would never intentionally hurt anyone. I don’t even smoke or drink alcohol.

Since my conviction I have been living a fully productive crime-free life as I was before my conviction. These 2 denial of entries have financially set me back as well as created a lot of other unexpected hardships and crisis’ in my life. The law enforcement authorities have just made a fully functional citizen into now a dysfunctional citizen. I can only say that the officers who are sending these notices that claimed I was traveling to recommit a crime are scumbags.

I have retained a lawyer and I am currently determining what, if any, legal remedies are available to sue ICE and/or Homeland Security. From doing business abroad for so long now, most of my assets are in a foreign country that I cannot even get into now. I have made Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to INTERPOL, U.S. Marshall’s Service, ICE and to the Department of Homeland Security.

I would like to get a list of names, email addresses and mobile phone number addresses of convicted sex offenders (registered or not registered) who have been denied entry to countries. I would like to share this information with my lawyer as well as I am thinking of filing a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union. Only if you like, and feel comfortable, you can leave your first name or nickname and contact information by sending an email to [email protected].

I am also willing to work with anyone in this forum in researching how to address these sex offender notices on a broader bases to ultimately put a stop to the bad practice. Finally, after already conducting my own extensive investigation on the issue, the culprit entities that are best to contact about these notices are as follows:

1. Secretary of Homeland Security
12TH & C Street SW
Washington DC 20528
(202) 282-8000
This is the headquarters for the ICE field offices that are based in the U.S. Embassies all across the
globe where such notices are originating from.
Go to the following link for a map of ICE field offices, and their addresses and phone numbers:
https://www.ice.gov/contact/hsi-international-ops

2. U.S. Marshall’s Service Sex Offender Targeting Center
(202) 282 8000

3. INTERPOL Washington
U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
(202) 616-9000
NOTE: INTERPOL Washington does not speak to private citizens about case information, but all sex
offense cases are handled in INTERPOL Washington’s Sex Trafficking Division and there are caseworkers
who handle the cases and send notices to the foreign countries.

This was submitted as a comment under “International Travel” by user “AdvocateVoice”. Deserves it own post…

Also see:

International Megan’s Law / RSO Travel Issues

International Travel

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