Welcome home, now wait a few hours

Used to be, I looked forward to returning home at the end of an interational trip.

I enjoyed going through customs because -- unlike when you're entering a foreign country -- this time you get to stand in the short lines, the ones that say "citizens only."

A bit of national pride would swell in my chest as I waited to re-enter my homeland and hear the customs officials greet me with a "Welcome back" as they stamped my passport.

No more.

When I flew into Miami International a month ago, after having spent a week in Mexico, I waited more than an hour to get stamped back in.

The lines weren't all that long. But they didn't have all the kiosks staffed, and it seemed like they must have been giving everyone the third degree. When my turn finally came, it lasted maybe 20 seconds. The guy barely looked at me, let alone spoke to me.

I'm young enough that I can deal with standing for a while, despite my back problems. But I felt sorry for the older folks around me, or parents with antsy children. An hour in line is a long time.

Then I saw this article in USA Today, which indicates my experience wasn't an exception, but is becoming the norm.

Maybe they should take some of the people building bigger walls along our borders and train them to work in customs. I can't help but think it would be a better use of resources.