[jlaurend]

You're allowed to take up to $10,000 into the US without declaring it, I believe. I'm guessing they sent her to the room because they were afraid she was trying to illegally immigrate and just complaining about the money to try and rattle her. Some of the horror stories about US Customs are so ridiculous.

When I came back from China last year through Toronto, they sent me to the room because they thought I was bringing food (even though I didn't declare any nor did I have any). Luckily the guy in the room there was more reasonable and let me go quickly without a hassle. Going through customs as an American is terrifying enough...can't imagine being a non-American.

There's a lot of good and bad about America. Unfortunately customs is on the bad sad often times...which happens to be the first impression a lot of people get of the country.