'Expedited removal': Young Canadian actor banned from entering US for 5 years

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

A young Saskatoon actor/set designer was on his way south on Aug. 29th, headed to do volunteer work at the upcoming Sh'Bang Art Festival near Bellingham.

Kyle Kuchirka, 25, a recent University of Saskatchewan graduate, found drama and pathos at the Sumas border crossing.

Kuckirka was interrogated for hours, and handed a slip barring him from entering the United States for five years. Six words of explanation from U.S. Customs and Border Protection: "You do not have work authorization."

Kuchirka was barred under a policy, lately rigorously enforced under the Trump Administration, called "expedited removal." He was held for questioning at the border for four hours and then sent back to the Great White North.

The case has become national news in Canada. "Any answer I gave them was not enough: I'm terrified of what the States is doing with its power," Kuchirka told CBC News.

Kuchirka explained that he was not trying to take anybody's job, was paying his way and expected only to receive free meals. "I started laughing, I couldn't believe it, it was like, 'For what?'" he told Global TV.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not answer the question, responding to emails telling CBC and Global that there are a variety of reasons for barring entry, but that it does not discuss individual cases.

https://www.seattlepi.com/local/politics/article/Expedited-removal-Young-Canadian-actor-banned-14484607.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynewsletterspi&utm_term=spi

[Thomas Hurt]

1. No one can take someone's job, jobs are offered by the employer, more christofascist newspeak.

[pecosbob]

2. Some seriously nixonian shit there

[TheBlackAdder]

3. Thought this was a Justin Bieber thread :-)

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But it said actor. 😂

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[Javaman]

4. "you are barred from the U.S. for 5 years because we are now the assholes of the world." nt

[Backseat Driver]

5. Ridiculous, but he's not alone

https://www.newsweek.com/more-more-canadians-are-being-issued-5-year-bans-visiting-us-1462511

A growing number of Canadians are receiving five-year bans issued at the border by U.S. border agents.

Generally, Canadians are allowed to stay up to six months in the U.S. as a tourist, provided the traveler can prove they are just visiting. A full-time job, home ownership and money in the bank can indicate incentives to return, but there is no way for Canadians to know what counts as proof of residence until they are approved or denied at the border. [snip]


Rochelle Trepanier of Calgary was en route to visit her boyfriend in California last month. As a tree planter, Trepanier's work is seasonal, so the last two years she has made the same trip in the off-season, this time to see her boyfriend and attend a friend's wedding.

After being turned away at the border for not having enough documentation, she traveled to the Peace Arch crossing with bank and credit card information, cell phone bills and work stubs proving her home was in Calgary. She was questioned for seven hours, then banned from returning to the U.S. for the next five years.

"Being banned for this long, it's traumatic," Trepanier told CTV. "It's heart-breaking."

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

6. Volunteer work

can sometimes require an express authorization, such as a work visa, depending on the type of volunteering. For example, if I get free room and board in exchange for volunteering, that may require a visa.

In addition, certain visa types for certain occupations including acting and set design require a union consultation in the form of a 'no objection' letter from the U.S. based union (i.e.: SAG) that it has no objections to granting the visa to the foreign national.

Unions are rightfully very protective of U.S. jobs in certain occupations, including entertainment.

Expedited removal is not new and yes, if you cannot prove that you have the intention to return to your home country in the form of itineraries, return tickets, etc., you may get denied.

This is not new and I've seen it throughout my many years of work in immigration. We also don't know whether this individual was denied before or tried to circumvent immigration laws before.

CBP does not need to provide answers; the burden of proving compliance with immigration regulations is on the foreign national, not CBP.