So I braved the border today -

I journeyed across the sacred rainbow bridge which separates the 2 beautiful nations at Niagara Falls ON/NY. The following is a sad tale of just how unbelievable this journey has become.

It all began with a pleasant hour and 20 minute drive through the countryside, passing through wine country beside the great lakes - I came into the final stretch of the border, the wait wasn't long, maybe 5 minutes, as I pulled up, a tall man stepped out and eyed me harshly as I approached, he reminded me of mexican military in between the border of Jalisco in western mexico.

The conversation went roughly as follows,

Guard "Passport - What are you doing here today"

Gradius "Im having lunch at the hard rock cafe"

Guard "Where do you live"

Gradius "Vancouver BC, but I'm staying in Hamilton for now"

Guard (Long pause) "Why did you come here?"

Gradius "Im visiting family, and came to visit a friend"

Guard "Who does this car belong to"

Gradius "My mothers, im driving it for the day while im away from home"

Guard "Show me your license, registration and insurrance"

Gradius "No problem"

Guard "Who are you doing to see"

Gradius "My friend, John Smith (Privacy)"

Guard "How long have you known this friend and where do they live"

Gradius "About a year, im not sure where he lives, we havent met yet"

Guard "You havent MET this friend yet?"

Gradius "No, we know eachother from internet discussions"

Guard "You've NEVER met this person except from speaking with them on the INTERNET, Give me your keys"

(At this point he became very aggressive - I gave him my keys)

Gradius "Never met them, and yes, we've spoken in great length over the internet, just like I've done with many of my clients who I work with and rarely meet"

Guard "Hang on"

(At this point, 4 military dressed men walk over and 'tell' me to step out of the car)

They surround me, and one man asks if I'm carrying any weapons, firearms, knives, ect.

Gradius: I have a leatherman multitool in my pocket

(They all go alert)

Guard #1: DONT TOUCH IT!! let this man get it from you.

Gradius: Okay....No problem, its in this pocket (I had very deep 5 inch pockets)

Guard #3: (He struggles to remove it, sort of man handling my crotch area and then he gives up trying to reach)

Guard#2 Just let him take it out himself, (as he has a hand on his gun)

(I remove the leatherman multi tool, and very carefully give it to them with open palms, I'm sooo dangerous)

I am then escorted to a room filled with 4 armed guards, and told to sit down and wait, they proceed to rip apart the car and examine every nook and cranny, every square inch is sniffed by dogs and examined by 2 guards.

after about a half hour I'm shouted at from the back of the quarantine room.

Guard: Hey Boss, Come get your papers,

I take my papers, and they say "You can go now". I return to the car in shambles, things moved around and jossled, the contents of the dash emptied onto the seats, change spilled out onto the floor from my jacket pockets.

Going out for lunch in the USA was never such a big deal.

Apparently now - Its almost criminal - Or at least suspected of such.

I certainly felt like a criminal

How did it come to this?

-GM

wow sounds worse than the border patrol check points in s tx. we usually just get asked, are you a us citizen, where are you coming from and where your going. the drugs dogs are out but if they dont bark, you just get waved through. sounds rough at the canadian border.

WOW! :O

That is nuts! I would have been freaked out!

They questioned you because you didn't know this person, yet you do know this person. Just because you havent met doesn't mean you don't know them!

Im sorry you were treated this way here.

your story is very flimsy sounding in a way. in essence, you can't name the person you are going to meet.

I'd say next time, get a real name so you don't have to say you are meeting "extreme reptilian hunter"

they probably had you pegged as a drug mule

Sounds pretty crazy but it's not exactly "normal" to meet a "friend you never met in person, but talk to on the internet" My guess is the guards thought you were a weirdo and decided they better be safe than sorry.

You also quoted yourself as saying you were from BC (what are you doing driving to the hard rock cafe for lunch in your mom's car if you're from BC? last time I checked BC was on the other side of the country, above Seattle Washington)

It does suck that they have to be so paranoid about everything these days, but that's not their fault, that's what they're being paid to stand out there all day doing. In other words, if something happens it comes back to them and they're screwed.

Welcome to reality.

Thank God you didn't mention that you met your friend thru ATS! They'd probably still have you in lockup! GULP

They are probably trying to catch people in a lie with those unending strings of questions - If you dig deep enough the person will slip if it is not the absolute truth - This is why I do not lie at the border - because if they catch you doing it - they can turn us away, they have the power of gods at the border.

The merciful gods have become the vengeful gods.

"Pegged" as a drug mule? Thats pretty offensive.

I could have said anything, I could have lied and said I was going by myself to see the American side of the falls, would that have been less strange then meeting an ATS friend?

There is a sickness brewing, and it is ugly.

Having lived in NY as a child and crossing in Canada over the Peace Bridge and Rainbow Bridge many, many times, I can tell you how it used to be.

Guard: Citizenship?
Us: U.S.
Guard: How long were you in Canada?
Us: A couple hours.
Guard: Anything to declare?
Us: No.
Guard: Go ahead.

Getting into Canada always seemed harder than getting back to the States.

Canada Customs: Citizenship?
Us: U.S.
Canada Customs: What city were you born in?
Us: Rochester.
Canada Customs: Reason for entering Canada?
Us: Visiting relatives in Crystal Beach.
Canada Customs: How long will you be staying in Canada?
Us: A couple of hours.
Canada Customs: Do you have anything to declare?
Us: No.
Canada Customs: Would you open your trunk?
Us: Sure, no problem.
Canada Customs: OK, let me take a look inside your vehicle.
Us: Sure, no problem.
Canada Customs: Enjoy your stay.

Now that DHS has their grubby little paws into Customs and Border Patrol I've heard some real horror stories from my friends about getting back into the U.S. It seems that we are all potential terrorist now and must be treated like cattle.

I know I won't be flying anywhere or traveling to Mexico or Canada until those "Papers, please" nazis at the border and airport checkpoints drop dead.

I'm sorry that our servants are not representing our wishes any longer. Eventually we hope to bring peace & tranquility back to America, but for the moment it is not so.

All I can suggest is to tell them what they want to hear even if it is not the exact truth. As long as they see what they want to see & hear what they want to hear they will wave you along. You need to program them as you see fit to get the results you want. They don't think, they follow their training.

Just like they train & practice, you need to do the same.

I would swear there was a thread about Canadian border crackdowns on ATS about a week ago now....

My aunt went to Canada a few years ago (American) to visit her husband (Canadian) (who went back and his visa had run out and could not get back into U.S.) It took her around 8 months to finally get back into the U.S. -without her car as they confiscated it, and without her husband.
It all did not make sense to me since she was American he was married to an American. It still doens't make sense to me. He finally did make it back to the U.S. though.

I recently went to Pittsburgh two weeks ago from Hamilton to meet a fellow ATSer. When asked why I was going, I told them I was going to see my girlfriend. He gave me a wink and said be gone lol. First time in years I've crossed the border, so I guess I'm sorry for your experience. It probably had everything to do with your circumstances for crossing.

Nothing wrong with it, but just the circumstances. At least they didn't turn you back.

ETA: I have been hassled at the border in the past, so I understand your frustration.