cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62991105
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!
I crossed the border from Mexico into the US yesterday. Wait time was reasonable - maybe 45 min. They asked where I was coming from and where I was going, and if I had any produce. I said I had some food that was all bought in America (which was true). They checked, and told me they had to confiscate my avocados. I asked if I could just eat the avocados instead. They said that, really, they just needed to confiscate the avocado seeds. So I cut the avos open, gave them the seeds, and they sent me on my merry way.
On the whole, a bit annoying, but everyone was fairly polite and understanding. But for reference, I am a white US citizen, so ymmv.
I’ve crossed the border quite a few times since this administration started, generally entering in Michigan and New York, I haven’t had issues with US customs though 9/10 times they are way more over it and gruff than Canadian customs, they have asked me to pop the trunk so they could see what was inside but they did that to me a couple times before Jan 20 so take it as you will, in my experience the biggest things for having a good experience is to know the basics (where are you going? How long? Why? Who are you seeing? Anything to declare?) so when they ask you don’t act like a deer in the headlights trying to remember, and only answer the question you’re asked, don’t get lost in the details, I will end this by saying I’m a white guy so I probably don’t get as serious a look as others, tl;dr my experience is it’s fine, just know the answers to basic questions before the border, and remember their gruffness does not necessarily mean they suspect you, so try not to be too nervous
I don’t have a personal account but I live in near a tourist destination not far from the border and there were still plenty of BC license plates around this year (though a big drop compared to last year, and I don’t blame them). In other words a lot of people are still making it through apparently.
I’d really like to know as well, since I’d like to travel eventually.
As for the canadian woman with improper paperwork, I can tell you usually the worst that can happen (well, before now, that is) was that they’d take you to a separate room for a few hours to check and question you, and, if things eventually check out, they let you through, else, you’d be sent back, especially at a land crossing. You wouldn’t be detained for months, unless you committed some crime or had a warrant