Junior electrical engineering major Eddie Udegbe had never had problems flying back to Fort Worth from his home in Nigeria.

That changed Friday.

Udegbe underwent questioning and was held by immigration officers for three hours after landing in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after a layover in Amsterdam. Udegbe’s older sister passed through the Customs and Border Protection station without trouble, but Udegbe said he was taken to a room with about 15 other people. After waiting for an hour and a half, Udegbe moved to a separate room for questioning.

“They asked a lot of questions: Where my bags are, what my parents do, what I’m doing at TCU.” Udegbe said.

Some passengers with families or partners were questioned together, Udegbe said. The officers did not seem to be in a hurry, he said.

“They ended up letting me go, but it was a long road to freedom,” Udegbe said.

Recently enacted policies for U.S.-bound international flights set in place by the Transportation Security Administration have put a strain on travelers, including students.

The new airport security measures were put in place after 23-year-old terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from Nigeria reportedly tried to detonate an explosive hidden in his underwear during an international flight bound for Detroit.

New policies increase the use of enhanced screening techniques and allow for more random screening of passengers, according to the TSA Web site. The TSA advised passengers to allow additional time to get through security on international flights bound to the U.S.

Tim Smith, American Airlines spokesman, said students flying domestically shouldn’t expect any changes.

“Within the U.S. there aren’t any significant changes that would require students to do anything different,” Smith said.

Leslie Bryant, a senior art history major, said she was worried about delays getting back to campus. Bryant’s flight was scheduled to leave Atlanta on Sunday evening and arrive in Fort Worth a few hours later.

Bryant said she planned on getting to the airport three hours before her flight left to ensure timely departure. Bryant said she also planned on checking her bags so she wouldn’t be delayed any longer.

“Students who are able to drive back to campus don’t know how good they have it,” Bryant said.

Students traveling internationally experienced more changes than those traveling domestically.

“International check-in procedures is taking longer than normal,” Smith said.

The longest delays occur in flights traveling to and from Canada because of the new policies added by the Canadian government, Smith said. According to the American Airlines Web site, U.S.-bound passengers from Canada are permitted zero carry-on bags, excluding a few necessary items.

Linnette Romero, a sophomore business major, said she expected to experience more trouble on her flight from El Salvador. However, Romero said she experienced little changes on her flight.

“I arrived (to check in) about a half an hour earlier just in case of security problems,” Romero said. “Security was the same; nothing took a different amount of time.”

Once Romero arrived in Houston to change planes, she was warned to move any liquids, even those that complied with the 8-ounce regulation, to her checked baggage.

Udegbe said he wasn’t alone. Another friend from Nigeria was bodily searched twice.

However, Udegbe said he hopes the security clamp-down will be eased by the time he visits Nigeria again.

“I understand that they have to step up security at this point, and to some extent makes me feel safer.but I guess there has to be some common ground,” Udegbe said.

Editor-in-chief Julieta Chiquillo contributed to this report.

TSA Country Watch List

Source: The Associated Press