Canadians traveling to inauguration turned away at U.S. border

[brooklynite]

Source: Reuters

Several Canadians traveling to attend either the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States or a march planned for Saturday in Washington were turned away at the border by U.S. officials.

Relations between Canada and the United States are under scrutiny following the election of Trump, who has vowed to put "America first" and renegotiate a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.

...snip...

Dyck was car-pooling with five other Canadians and two French nationals on Thursday who were held for two hours at the Lacolle border crossing where they were searched, made to unlock their mobile phones and ultimately denied entry.

...snip...

Joseph Decunha, a 20-year-old physics student at McGill University in Montreal, was also turned back at the Lacolle crossing between Quebec and New York state after being asked specifically if he, his partner and a friend supported or opposed Trump.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-inauguration-canada-idUSKBN1542UD?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=58829ea704d30116424eb5a7&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

[mobeau69]

1. I don't know what to think about this.

Maybe they will eventually be dragging me out of my house. Oh well, Give me liberty or give me death.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. "America First"

You support what Trump says and does and enacts.

And shut up about it.

I do expect restrictions on free speech and perhaps travel.

Soon we will be virtual prisoners in our own homes.

[George II]

3. I've been crossing the border for more than 60 years - each time is slightly different. I can...

....get through in a matter of minutes or have my car or luggage searched. About 15 years ago I was sent to another border agent at the airport in Toronto and went through another set of less than probing questions.

I have an American passport.

It could be that the Canadian customs agents were being aggressive that day, and they US customs agents "returning the fire"?

Or it could be that some of them (at least the Canadians) didn't have passports? Or being a vehicle with eight unrelated passengers of v various ages (and nationalities) seemed odd?

I wouldn't say this is a trend, just an isolated incident.

[brooklynite]

4. I can remember walking across the bridge at Niagara Falls...

...telling the Immigration official where I was born and continuing on my way.

[George II]

5. Yes, things were a lot different 20+ years ago. That all changed in 2001....

....the reason I had problems in the airport that time was that I didn't have a passport - we never used passports back then, just driver's licenses. The woman was really obnoxious. First she said "all that means is that you can rent a car and go out to a bar and pick up women"! Really. Then just before she sent me to the second agent in another room, she said "you Americans have to remember that we're not the 51st state". The second guy was great, though. He looked me up in his computer, noticed that my mother was a native Canadian, and sent me on my way.