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!
Hm. I’ve seen her paperwork mentioned a few times, maybe they’ve stopped writing it because they think everyone knows now. I remember getting so annoyed at “DNA, the building blocks of life” but it really was new information to a lot of people. Honestly, the paperwork issue is what terrifies me. I had that same “paperwork” style issue maybe 20 years ago, and I’m so glad they just denied me entry.
I haven’t had any recent interactions, but if your family is white US citizens, I doubt there will be a problem. If they are pending on any immigration status, I would suggest they contact a lawyer before crossing the border.
I went to the States for work (training) in 2000 with only my drivers license for ID. I had no trouble getting into the States, and had to fill out a two-page form to get back into Canada. That hasn’t been possible since 9/11. I suspect paperwork will be a much bigger issue now than it was even last year.