EDIT: Consensus has been achieved, original post below. General consensus is that people haven’t had issues with US customs, as long as all the paperwork is in order.
Thanks to everyone who commented, I greatly appreciate your input!
Hey everyone!
For those that have crossed the US / Canadian border recently: what was your experience when going through US customs? Were you harassed / detained? Any tips to prepare for crossing?
My SO and I were talking earlier about having some family come up from the US to Canada to visit us. I suggested maybe they should wait a bit due to the apparent unhinged behaviour of US Customs; However, while my SO doesn’t deny the stories, she believes they might be rare cases & blown out of proportion by the media. She found out that the Vancouver woman that was detained for ~2 weeks also had improper paperwork - which is often left out by the media. While the detainment duration is still totally unjustified, the initial detainment was caused by the improper paperwork.
So I’m reaching out to those that actually cross the border to see what’s actually going on; as the media can be fanatical sometimes.
Thanks in advance!
You should consider that snafus with paperwork have undoubtedly happened for as long as there has been a border between the two countries.
It’s not the paperwork that’s the issue.
It’s the harrassment and incarceration that’s the problem.
Consider this: If family coming to Canada isn’t a concern, why not go and see them instead?
If the Vancouver woman you referred to is the same one I read about, she was addressing the paperwork issue and was arrested anyway. She told ICE she would pay for her own ticket to return to Canada and was detained in torture conditions anyway. When legal, press, and Canadian government attention were brought to bear, she was told “if you had just said you would pay for your own ticket you could have avoided all of this.”
Unless you are a white US citizen with significant money, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the country.
Risk is likely very low but until things get better I wont risk it. The potential consequences are too high.
If you have your shit together, you’re fine. Afaik everyone who has had problems, has had a paperwork issue or did something stupid to trigger them. That’s when their disproportionate response starts.
This is a generous take on current CBP practices.
Many have been detained without legitimate cause or due process.
Generally it’s people of color who bear the brunt of injustice but I’ve heard stories of even white people facing challenges - being made to declare their love for the US or comment positively on the current US government for entry.
Its offputting enough to want to avoid the US unless absolutely necessary.
