Sapphyre

This morning, rather early, I crossed the Niagara Rainbow Bridge
crossing to go to the post office in Niagara Falls, NY. As many
Canadians know, it costs $10 to ship a little package out to British
Columbia, and mailing postcards and stuff is etrocious. I had a pile of
mail I wanted to send, only $20 in dutiable goods (gifts) which I was
very willing to declare, if I hadn't been searched and interrogated
before I had a chance to let the lady know that it wasn't just letters
I was sending.

So I saved myself quite a few dollars in postage today, because I did
make it across... but I don't think the few dollars I saved was worth
the humiliation I endured, just because I wanted to take a nice 1 mile
walk from the Canadian side, and use a service that is no big deal.

I was searched and interrogated, asked why I wasn't at work Monday
morning (when I do a SHIFT JOB), accused of being part time just
because my company has low standards of guaranteed hours for full time
employees (32 hours a week is full time... so what if the rest of the
world works more?) I had lots of paper stuff with me, which I think
helped. My daytimer was read, every section... work schedule (which I
think helped) address book, every question, "how do you know this
person?" the person asking me questions did not understnd things like
eBay, paypal, online puchase, to understand some of what I was saying,
what does that mean if they don't get it, it's illegal?

Every single thing in my bag was looked at... I was going for 1 hour
(enough time to walk to the post office, do my business and leave). I
had no clothes with me, no medication, no food, I was walking, I had a
hotel key for where I was staying in Canada, cash, credit cards
(nothing excessive), no bus tickets or anything to indicate I was doing
anything other than going to a post office. And I had MAIL to send
out... I'm telling the person at the border what I'm saving on the
packages, and they're getting upset. I didn't even seal the packages, I
knew they'd want to look. Fine, let them look. They always look at that
stuff, they don't want anything to be sealed. I know all about showing
Customs what I intend to mail and leave in the US, this is not the
first time I've crossed the border, just the first time in three years.
I'm being asked questions about a book I'm mailing, I said, "I don't
know, I never read it." (just a fiction novel), I'm then asked, "why
didn't you read it?" (Uh... who cares?)

I had thought, because it's normal for people where I live... of
getting a US postal box there, and having ebay stuff shipped there, so
I pay one tax bringing it home, not $5 on every single package...
Forget it, if I have to be humiliated while someone's taking notes for
that small savings, I'd sooner forget it.

If anyone else has been hassled this bad... please share. I'd feel
better knowing it wasn't just me. The last time I went into the US for
something that seemed almost stupid, was in 2000 (yes I know, before
9/11) my cousin and I drove across in BC, just to "see what White Rock
Looks like from the Blaine piers". We didn't get asked why we needed to
do that, they just let us go.

I will say, I had no problems and almost no questions returning to
Canada. "I was gone for an hour, I brought nothing back." That much was
pretty obvious from the amount of stuff I had with me.

S.

crg

They search some people. That's their job. Why shouldn't that special someone be you? Sometimes your number comes up. The Canadians searched my stuff a couple years ago in Windsor. I know that's part of crossing an international border.

Sometimes people even smuggle stuff across the border *inside* their bodies, and get caught. That's got to be a tough thing to find.

What specifically did they do to hassle and humiliate you? Are you sure it wasn't just the mere fact that you were being searched at all that offended you?

J. J. Farrell

Sapphyre wrote:
    > This morning, rather early, I crossed the Niagara Rainbow Bridge
    > crossing to go to the post office in Niagara Falls, NY. As many
    > Canadians know, it costs $10 to ship a little package out to British
    > Columbia, and mailing postcards and stuff is etrocious. I had a pile of
    > mail I wanted to send, only $20 in dutiable goods (gifts) which I was
    > very willing to declare, if I hadn't been searched and interrogated
    > before I had a chance to let the lady know that it wasn't just letters
    > I was sending.
    > So I saved myself quite a few dollars in postage today, because I did
    > make it across... but I don't think the few dollars I saved was worth
    > the humiliation I endured, just because I wanted to take a nice 1 mile
    > walk from the Canadian side, and use a service that is no big deal.
    > ...

I don't really understand what you're complaining about. People who
travel internationally must expect to be questioned and searched, and
the USA is well known to be fairly vigourous about it these days. If
you don't want such hassle, don't travel internationally.

CarlM

I agree - first time i went to Israel i was almost 3 finger buggered!

..he never called me afterwards either..

steve of 5-0

Now if you had been driving across - you would have had no probs`!

They got upset, because you were taking the piss, walking, which is something they don`t do................s i l l y !

They got disorientated - thinking it was an infantry invasion!

Frank

Unfortunately many folks (as some replies to this thread also show) think
that causing hassle and discomfort is the same as being careful and
diligent. Quite the opposite.

For years I flew out of Boston frequently and the security screeners always
pissed me off. I didn't mind being hassled if it actually increased
security; but back then it was all obviously a dog and pony show. Mucho
hassle, light on brains.

It was no surprise to me that two of the 9/11 planes originated there. Now
its much more secure. And they ask fewer stupid questions to boot.

-F

1577 Ar23

"Sapphyre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    > This morning, rather early, I crossed the Niagara Rainbow Bridge
    > crossing to go to the post office in Niagara Falls, NY. As many
    > Canadians know, it costs $10 to ship a little package out to British
    > Columbia, and mailing postcards and stuff is etrocious. I had a pile of
    > mail I wanted to send, only $20 in dutiable goods (gifts) which I was
    > very willing to declare, if I hadn't been searched and interrogated
    > before I had a chance to let the lady know that it wasn't just letters
    > I was sending.
    > So I saved myself quite a few dollars in postage today, because I did
    > make it across... but I don't think the few dollars I saved was worth
    > the humiliation I endured, just because I wanted to take a nice 1 mile
    > walk from the Canadian side, and use a service that is no big deal.
    > I was searched and interrogated, asked why I wasn't at work Monday
    > morning (when I do a SHIFT JOB), accused of being part time just
    > because my company has low standards of guaranteed hours for full time
    > employees (32 hours a week is full time... so what if the rest of the
    > world works more?) I had lots of paper stuff with me, which I think
    > helped. My daytimer was read, every section... work schedule (which I
    > think helped) address book, every question, "how do you know this
    > person?" the person asking me questions did not understnd things like
    > eBay, paypal, online puchase, to understand some of what I was saying,
    > what does that mean if they don't get it, it's illegal?
    > Every single thing in my bag was looked at... I was going for 1 hour
    > (enough time to walk to the post office, do my business and leave). I
    > had no clothes with me, no medication, no food, I was walking, I had a
    > hotel key for where I was staying in Canada, cash, credit cards
    > (nothing excessive), no bus tickets or anything to indicate I was doing
    > anything other than going to a post office. And I had MAIL to send
    > out... I'm telling the person at the border what I'm saving on the
    > packages, and they're getting upset. I didn't even seal the packages, I
    > knew they'd want to look. Fine, let them look. They always look at that
    > stuff, they don't want anything to be sealed. I know all about showing
    > Customs what I intend to mail and leave in the US, this is not the
    > first time I've crossed the border, just the first time in three years.
    > I'm being asked questions about a book I'm mailing, I said, "I don't
    > know, I never read it." (just a fiction novel), I'm then asked, "why
    > didn't you read it?" (Uh... who cares?)
    > I had thought, because it's normal for people where I live... of
    > getting a US postal box there, and having ebay stuff shipped there, so
    > I pay one tax bringing it home, not $5 on every single package...
    > Forget it, if I have to be humiliated while someone's taking notes for
    > that small savings, I'd sooner forget it.
    > If anyone else has been hassled this bad... please share. I'd feel
    > better knowing it wasn't just me. The last time I went into the US for
    > something that seemed almost stupid, was in 2000 (yes I know, before
    > 9/11) my cousin and I drove across in BC, just to "see what White Rock
    > Looks like from the Blaine piers". We didn't get asked why we needed to
    > do that, they just let us go.
    > I will say, I had no problems and almost no questions returning to
    > Canada. "I was gone for an hour, I brought nothing back." That much was
    > pretty obvious from the amount of stuff I had with me.
    > S.

If you have a surefire, absolutely and proven way of knowing who among the
different people in the world have 100% reliability of being safe, thus not
requiring any inspection or questioning, CBP would be glad to know. Until
then, you are not special and you have to be treated just like any traveler
that comes into the US. Nobody has been inspected or searched 100% of the
time and I don't believe you have been done so 100% of the time either!
You are just being overly sensitive and unreasonable about your complaint.

Sapphyre

HI folks,

I read and digested all of your replies and thought I should reply to
some things people have mentioned...

Okay, I've been searched before, I've crossed borders before. I've
often been searched when I was doing something that would cause more
questions (travelling to the US for a month during "summer break", they
are looking for students who are going to work illegally... they want
to be sure that's not me). They want to be sure people going shopping
aren't taking luggage, sometimes checking a wallet is reasonable to
look for fake ID, etc. I am not bothered she wanted to see my actual
cash, look in my wallet.

Reading my address book to demand to know why I have a friend in
another country and how long I've known them, etc, etc, and doing this
repeatedly borders on harassment. I'm permitted to have friends in
other countries/cities, and I don't have to have met everyone who's
address I have. I trade souvenirs, coins, stamps, tacky crap. I carry
addresses of my "friends" so I can send them such tacky crap when I
travel. Niagara Falls Canada is no exception, and I made sure to have
those addresses for postcards.

I've been searched randomly because I was on a bus or train, and that's
what they were doing. I didn't really like it, and I didn't necessarily
like all the questions... it was weird to be suspected of something
that seemed odd. (I was searched as someone who was suspected of
carrying guns/ammo, just because my bag seemed too heavy for it's
size... I let him look, because I'm co-operative with law enforcement,
and he backed down when he realized I had 30 lbs, literally, of junk
coins I bought at a flea market). I've been raked over the grills
during the illegal immigration searches in the southern US just because
I don't have stamps in my passport or a visa (which is NORMAL for a B-2
visitor from Canada... if I ask for a stamp at the border, they freak
out...) they go away when they are satisfied of my intentions.

If this immigration officer had decided that checking me out would
include calling my employer (which she could have done), checking with
the hotel to see that I was really a guest there, asking questions to
determine how much money I was really saving by walking to mail those
letters/small packages, checking what's in them... I expect that, they
always look to see what I'm mailing to make sure it's not illegal or
something that should be dutied.

What offended me, was when she asked what I did for a living, and I
told her I worked in a postal franchise inside a store, she responded
by telling me "that store doesn't have post offices, they're run by the
government." Um, I'm sorry, the store has a post office, and I manage
it. Everyone in Canada would know that, but because she didn't know
that... she in a round about way accused me of making that up. Then she
told me if I had a full time job, I should be at work on a Monday
morning. (I have to work Saturday and Sunday every second week, I'll be
damned if I work seven days in a row just because they think I need to
work on Monday because everyone else does... Immigration is a shift
job, different hours, different days... they should get that loud and
clear). Next offensive comment was when she told me I wasn't full time,
and I had "lied" about that... I'm sorry if 32 hours is not full time
in the US, but that's what my company guarantees to full time
employees... yes, I get more hours often, but in fairness, everyone has
their turn at 32 hours a week sometimes, and everyone gets the odd 4-5
day weekend.

But for the record, I called a different port of entry (for information
purposes), and mentioned I had some difficulty crossing, and my reasons
for going across. The officer who answered (a supervisor) explained the
burden of proof for my visiting... and how everything I had with me
should have been sufficient. What he didn't understand, is why this
lady cared where I did my shopping with money I obviously earned
(direct deposit on my bank statements) or why she was even reading my
bank statements. He did not understand why it would be relevant to
discuss who my acquaintances were in any great detail, or further to
make a reference that I should not trust people on the Internet and how
giving out my street address (to people I trade things with) was
dangerous. She actually told me one of my Internet trading partners
would come up to Canada and kill me! (She said that as she gave me back
my stuff and let me through). And when we were discussing my job, and
she was questioning it, she told me "you are not making any sense"
because she didn't understand what I did for a living. (Listening helps
with that I find).

So to answer the "over sensitive" comment, and whether or not I'm just
reacting to being searched... I don't like it, but it's happened many
times. I never posted about it, I just keep it in mind that they have a
job to do. There's doing a job, and there's a fine line between being a
nosy busybody because you have nothing to do... It was rather slow at
Immigration that morning, and I suspected I'd answer more questions
than usual because of this.

My insurance doesn't cover me bringing the car into the US because of
my driver's license restrictions... but she never asked me about that
(why I'd walk instead of drive). And I brought my camera to take photos
of the hotel and Canadian side of Niagara Falls from the bridge,
because I think it looks cool.

I really have a difficult time justifying my life to people who just
can't accept that not everyone's the same. I've met my fair share of
immigration/customs officers, and answered quite a few strange
questions... They always ask why I don't fly some place instead of
using ground transportation... It's simple, I can't collect tacky crap
at every truck stop if I'm flying over them. But most officers accept
I'm a little weird with my preferences, and only want to be sure I'm
not breaking laws, smuggling, the usual stuff... I just find this
frustrating, tis all.

Sapphyre

Olivier Wagner

You may want to use this form:
http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-847.htm
Keep in mind that you don't have to pay postage if mailed from the US (just
kidding)


"Sapphyre" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    > This morning, rather early, I crossed the Niagara Rainbow Bridge
    > crossing to go to the post office in Niagara Falls, NY. As many
    > Canadians know, it costs $10 to ship a little package out to British
    > Columbia, and mailing postcards and stuff is etrocious. I had a pile of
    > mail I wanted to send, only $20 in dutiable goods (gifts) which I was
    > very willing to declare, if I hadn't been searched and interrogated
    > before I had a chance to let the lady know that it wasn't just letters
    > I was sending.

Rete

I think the problem is your many crossings into the US (and Mexico?) with a B-2 visa. For a Canadian to need a B-2 visa to visit the US tells a lot.

jamie01

They are allowed to search whatever. However, if they behaved in a mean or unprofessional way then perhaps write a letter to the station supervisor providing a narrative of the events from your perspective. You do recall very specific details. Perhaps the agent had a bad day or there is a history here, who knows? Don't know if they ever reply but worth a try.

US laws on unreasonable searches etc... do those rights apply for persons not on US soil?


[QUOTE=Sapphyre]HI folks,

I read and digested all of your replies and thought I should reply to
some things people have mentioned...

crg

[QUOTE=jamie01]They are allowed to search whatever. However, if they behaved in a mean or unprofessional way then perhaps write a letter to the station supervisor providing a narrative of the events from your perspective. You do recall very specific details. Perhaps the agent had a bad day or there is a history here, who knows? Don't know if they ever reply but worth a try.

US laws on unreasonable searches etc... do those rights apply for persons not on US soil?


The US border isn't on US soil. It's on the edge of US soil. By crossing the border (in or out) you are subject to search. Vehicles can even be searched for people within something like 25 to 100 miles from the border If I'm not mistaken.

crg

You were saving money by shipping things from the US.... yet you were staying in a hotel so you had some money... but then again, you were walking across.... but you weren't from the area.....

I'm starting to think you're a smuggler because that story is fishy!

The law says that you are to be treated as someone who is seeking to move to the US permanently until you can prove otherwise. Guilty until you prove innocence. I imagine they suspected that someone was driving your car over with all of your stuff and assuming that you were walking over to meet them and return to your illegal residence and employment. People lie to them everyday, so I don't blame them for being a bit jaded and untrusting.

Rete

I'm just a reader and poster here and I'm far from convinced that you are not a wanna-be illegal immigrant or a smuggler or a would be terrorist. Come on Sap, why are you walking across the Can/Am border carrying your bank statements and address book just to mail some things from the US side of the border? Seems like a lot of non-essential evidence to carry just to cross the border to mail a few things.

Also what kind of restrictions are there on your driver's license that would prohibit your insurance company from insuring you if you crossed the border? You apparently don't like to fly and drive everywhere so what kind of restrictions could you have that won't allow you to drive across the border but will allow you to drive into different provinces in Canada?

Are you a Canadian citizen or a Canadian resident? What did you give to the agent to show your identity?

My in-laws live on the Can/Am border and cross several times a month for shopping and mailing from the post office in the US and to pick up mail at their PO Box there. My niece would cross the border once a week to buy gas as many Canadians do. So my thought is that something in your demeanor or your identification caused this agent to be very very leery of allowing you to enter.

Sapphyre

Hi Rete,

I don't have "many" crossings, as I told the Immigration officer, once
or twice a year. I never went to Mexico, I just happened to take
Greyhound very frequently, and I just go where the route goes. I spent
three years in school in Quebec, and between mid-May and the first week
of August, we have our vacation. It's community college, so we don't
have as much leeway as University students, but we have no summer
classes. I went across for two months in the fall of 2000 because I was
off for the semester (no space in my program), summer of 2001, summer
of 2002, and in 2003 I got a summer job which became permanent... I've
only ever crossed since for one day of shopping, travelling with mom
for a long weekend, a quick trip to a bank to get state quarters, or
post office to get stamps (because I collect sheets of stamps
sometimes, just because I feel like it). Not to mention my tacky junk
collecting habit (hence my choice for Greyhound... I spend 10 minutes
somewhere and get a souvenir).

Because of my not so many crossings in the past, I did get the
impression the officer thought I might be planning to cross a lot in
the future, for reasons that may not be on the up and up. She did let
me go through, but I just know that telling the truth (even if having
to answer a few questions was rather embarassing). I'm reasonably
certain she was testing me a few times to see if I was going to answer
honestly.

S.