Canadians denied entry to U.S.

At a recent Kingston event, I was approached by a woman who related the recent border-rated experiences of a close friend.  The friend and her husband were driving on a routine trip to visit close family in the U.S.  At the U.S. point of entry, the border officer had only one question, asking what the friend felt about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state. Taken aback, she politely replied with the truth that she was opposed. That was all it took to be rejected.  Sadly, her husband decided to drive to the next border crossing where they were asked the same question but replied more neutrally. That officer looked at his computer screen, commented that wasn’t what was said two hours previously and not only rejected them but ordered a one-year exclusion from entering the U.S.

Fascism in America 2025

Fascist states are places where lying has become an essential tool for survival, which is the antithesis of a free country.  A Google AI answer to the question “Does fascism begin with dehumanizing a target group of people?” yielded the following answer:

Yes, fascism often begins with dehumanizing a target group of people. This process, where a group is stripped of their humanity, is a crucial step in fascist ideology and practice. By portraying a specific group as “other,” “inferior,” or a threat to the “nation” or “race,” fascists create a climate of fear and hatred, making it easier to justify discrimination, violence, and even genocide.

It certainly appears that our neighbours to the south are rapidly descending into fascism, with immigrants serving as the ideal powerless target group to begin the radical undermining of traditional human rights which most Americans had considered inviolable.

Detained at U.S. border

For Canadians who have seldom thought twice about visiting U.S. family and friends, it is more than a little jarring to fear for one’s safety when contemplating such a trip. Given the stories about Canadians arbitrarily imprisoned in quite inhuman ICE detention centres, it is important that we develop a better understanding of those risks.  Anecdotally, flying appears to be safer than land crossings, but is that actually true?  Are Canadians simply turned back at the border as per the above example, or have there been cases of them being taken into custody and sent to an ICE facility.  In the latter case, one’s life could be at risk.  Either way, the deliberate climate of fear constitutes a very good reason for resisting any takeover of Canada because it’s certainly not how we Canadians would ever want to live.

You could help by sharing both personal experiences while seeking to cross the border and credible stories told to you by others in your circle.  You can easily do that by submitting a comment to this post.  Please indicate whether your story is first-person (experienced by you or a close family member), second-person (told directly to you by an affected individual in your circle or third-person (heard indirectly from someone else).