Member Submission: IML and travel to the Bahamas
(Decided to share this story in hope it might keep somebody else from the humiliation i experienced with my family and add to your travel site data base )
Unfortunately i found out the hard way about International Megan’s Law while traveling to Bahamas on a family/birthday vacation.
Since i had traveled to the Bahamas multiple times before the law was enacted and did not have to register under IML until 2017, I was totally blindsided when i was ushered into a small room, advised they had received notification from Interpol and the US marshals service as to be on alert to my flight and party and traveling as a rso . All they cared about if i was in fact a rso–nothing about the charges being over 20 years old and my legal papers showing i was removed in my home state–or the fact i had traveled throughout the Bahamas for years after my conviction and actually lived in Grand Bahama for 3 months.
I was summarily separated from my family and promptly ushered back on the plane back to Miami– I barely had time to give my fiancee (she knows of my background and status) my credit cards and cash to continue with the trip without me. She had to cry and beg for the hotel to honor our reservations since the cc were all in my name and the touted fishing trip had to be cancelled.
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So are these IML notices being sent because you managed to get on the Florida registry even though you have been removed by your state of violation (or home state?) People have stated that there is no “Federal” registry, but the national registry is taken form the states. Please explain further how this happened to you.
here is the problem as well
you get off in 1 state Reg….but required to REG in life time state
IF you ever get pulled over and they run the the system and REG citizen pops up well your screwed taking a chance of FTR or force you back on it its getting bad another way to circumvent the system
FTR?
I believe FTR means “failure to register.”
Failure To Register FTR
Strongly urge this member to submit report to RTAG also— need to get the Registrant Travel Matrix updated to reflect this experience.
Similar questions:
1) Was your old conviction against a minor? Did you have to get a new passport with the “RSO stamp” on the last page?
2) Have you tried traveling elsewhere besides the Bahamas?
3) Have you tried talking to the Bahamian Consulate?
Wow. What an unfortunate story. That made me think of something. I was reading a thread a while back about RSO and taking cruises – how some cruise lines allow RSOs and some flatly do not. In respect to those cruise lines that do allow RSOs, what happens when they port in countries like the Bahamas? Are RSOs allowed to disembark at these locations, or do they have to just stay on ship?
What a messed up, complicated and unnecessarily shameful web they (the authorities) continue to weave.
I have taken many cruises in the past few years. My last cruise was in September, we went on a short cruise to the Bahamas. This is what you can expect; the ship will make a public announcement as soon as the ship gets to port and the local immigration begins clearing the manifest. The will also phone your cabin. They will ask you to meet a ship’s security agent at guest services, and then they will escort you to a private area. Usually the main dinning room since it is closed in the morning, other than the main level. There you will meet with the country’s immigration officer. If you get a nice officer, they will explain the reason you are asked to meet (as if we don’t know), and they will ask you a few questions. They have asked me, What are you planning to do while in the country?, Do you intend to leave with the ship? Have you been here before? When was the last time you visited?, etc. Other countries like St. Lucia will like to get into the details of your charge, which I have learned to refuse to answer. After the questioning, the officer will make a decision then and there whether you are allowed to disembark. I have gotten mixed results.
In the past few years I have cruised extensively and I can tell you for a fact that it is getting tougher. I mostly travel on one cruise line. Two years ago I was never questioned, or stopped or prevented from entering a county, well only when we got back to the home port :-(. The last time at Port Canaveral they even searched my ipad and iphone! Guess what I am NOT taking on my next cruise? Every time a book a cruise I know that I may not be able to leave the ship so I prepare before hand. This thing with IML has really thrown a wrench in my everyday life, my old job required me to travel all about latin-america which I can no longer do. So like many others I had to leave my job and take a significant pay cut. My wife and my children we all had to make huge adjustments but thanks to God and the support of my family we are managing day to day.
If you don’t mind my asking, what’s the name of the cruise line (or lines) that doesn’t care about RSO status? I’ve been afraid to take a cruise for fear that the company won’t allow me to get on. Thanks!!
All cruise lines are “concerned” as to who they allow to board. That I know of only DIsney and Carnival will flat out deny registrants to cruise in their ships. Other cruise lines will have a vetting process and their security group will review and make a decision on a case by case basis. My suggestion to you is to call the cruise line directly and speak to one of the security consultants. They will be able to provide you with information on their clearance process.
Thanks for the response!
I have heard royal Caribbean is a no go. Has Norwegian ever given any problems, or asked about registrant status, security clearance, etc? My last cruise was on carnival in 2015. Somehow I was allowed on and no issues at any port nor upon returning to the US.
I would just not want to call the cruise line and get my name blacklisted, especially If i may be removed from registry soon. Your thought?
I’m honestly surprised Carnival has let you sail, they banned my husband when we tried to book a cruise with them in 2011. We were going to try and cruise on RC with our friends last fall, but the travel agent my friend dealt with with said that my husband couldn’t sail on any ships docking where RSO’s aren’t allowed in the country, so that basically ruled out any Caribbean destination because most go to the Bahamas, the VI’s, or Mexico at some point of the itinerary(even if they do stop at countries that don’t have an issue) I anything, talk to a travel agent,I’m curious if you’d get the same answer we did.
You can call the cruise line and NOT give them your name :-). I would focus on the cruise lines that market more toward adults for example Princess Cruise Lines (even though it is owned by Carnival) or Celebrity (owned by Royal) or M$C. It has been better for me to deal with the cruise line directly and not trough travel agents, travel agents are not well informed. Try it, plead your case the worst the can do is say NO.
How odd that people would call a company and plead to be allowed to give them business and money! I need people doing that to me. Personally, I’m going to skip companies that give RPs a hard time. I’m going to go to their competitors. And any time that I come across any way that I can harm such a company, I’m going to do it. Life is long and I’ve been surprised by opportunities that arise along the way.
The really funny thing is that companies that exclude RPs aren’t changing the risk to anyone in any significant way. They will still have the exact same safety risks regardless. They get little for drinking the Kool-Aid.
Reality: The $EX Offender Registries are nothing but a giant pile of excrement. They are clearly not needed or beneficial. That is trivial to prove. There is nothing legitimate about them. They are nothing but harassment by out-of-control Nanny Big Government and the emperor never had any clothes. They are all liars.
Hi,
Is your passport stamped (conviction involving a minor)? Do you have to give 21 day advance notification before going on a cruise? What were your mixed results (more denial of leaving the ship or more able to leave the ship)?
Thanks,
Rocky
My Passport was revoked last year. I travel with my birth certificate. So since IML I have traveled and allowed in Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, St, Thomas (US Territory), San Juan PR (US Territory), Cozumel Mexico, Jamaica. Not allowed in St. Kitts, St. Lucia, or British VI. I was questioned in the Bahamas for the first time last year, but I was allowed to disembark. And yes you have to give 21 days or more notice at your sheriff department.
You can travel without a passport? Did your conviction involve a minor? What about people with adult cases? Do you know anything about them?
You can cruise with a birth certificate IF you leave and return to the same port within the US. It’s called closed loop cruising google it, select the article from cbp.
was your passport revoked at a Point of entry or exit? (US)
or sent to you by certified letter
The letter was sent to an old address that I have not lived in or had on the registry for quite a few years. By the time the old landlord got a hold of me, I was a week away from my trip.
ABC – where did you learn to not provide details of your offense to the receiving country? I got turned away in Jamaica and during my questioning they asked me about my offense. I figured being forthcoming with my details and owning my past transgressions would be of a benefit vs. a detriment.
Brian – As you can see owning up to your past mistake didn’t get you an entry into Jamaica. I am sure it was not easy for you to have to discuss in detail your case one more time. I think it’s embarrassing and demeaning. In my opinion, they have already made their mind by the time they board the ship. So if I start hearing that line of questioning, the one that focuses toward the details of my offense, I respectfully decline to answer.
And since they take notes, I can assume that those notes are going to end up somewhere, and it will probably wont be good for me.
The authorities in this case, and essentially all cases, belong to the federal government. From SORA, SORNA, IML, ICAC, etc… it’s our federal government at play. The madness that many states implement yearly stem from what’s already in place and receive Grant money for doing so.
Yea, we learned the hard way too after the last time my husband and I tried to book a cruise on Carnival in 2011. The only decent thing they did was cancel our reservation the day we made final payment (which was about a month out from sailing) and call us to explain why.
2 questions:
Are you off the registry?
Is your passport stamped with the RSO info?
The federal government keeps a registered individual on their listing for a lifetime, regardless of what state they are in.
But that defeats the purpose of even being off the registry in one’s home state. Especially if they still reside in that home state. Because if you’re off the registry, there is no need to be giving anyone any notice of your travel attempts.
the Key word is registered persons federal government and yea to a point its true Angel watch DHS USCIS and others