Trouble With Homeland Security: Welcome Back to the USA
On a whim last weekend a friend and I decided to head up to Vancouver, BC. I hadn’t been there for a while, however I recall the border six years ago as being fairly easy to get through on my previous trips up there. If anything there was delay going into Canada, both times I’ve previously been I received the pleasure of a well trained German Shepherd trouncing about my car sniffing my bags on the way into Canada. This time we waited about five minutes in line and were waved through after presenting identification and stating our reason for entering the country.
Vancouver, as before, was a very fun town. We went to a boat party with live music on a large party boat out in the middle of Vancouver harbor. It was awesome - we planned on leaving after the party but decided it would be better to stick around for another day and recover.With my usual degree of planning we stayed for yet another additional day - this time on the south end of town on Broadway. This was pretty uneventful, there was a big party going on across town but the cab fare was too expensive and we’d been over at Earl’s drinking margaritas so there was no way I was going to drive across Vancouver. Staying near the hotel we did a little bit of a pub crawl on Broadway - there was some awful metal music at the hotel bar and there’s Earl’s across the street 
Now for the real fun . . . crossing the border back to the states!
I haven’t done this since before 9/11, and had no idea what to expect. As we neared the border patrol point I noticed a new building had been constructed, quite a bit larger than the original little windowed building you pulled up to before. I noticed these strange devices mounted all around which I found out were designed to scan your passport as you entered so they would know who was in the car before pulling up. Do ID cards have RFIDs in them too?
So . . . how have our freedoms, etc. changed as a result of 9/11? Read along . . .
We were asked to pull the car into a parking bay at the border checkpoint and come inside and answer some questions. We were told to remove the key from the ignition and leave the car unlocked.
While we were being detained there was no restroom and no drinking water.
We were told to empty our pockets onto the counter, i had a mint tin in my pockets - I was told to open the container. The officer removed a single mint and placed it on the counter as if to test it.
We were repeatedly told it would just be a few minutes.
The officers held our identification and made us fill out an immigration form.
We were questioned together first, then individually.
The CBP officers stated that they would be strip searching us, and to avoid this we just needed to turn over “the drugs”.
They asked what drugs were in the car and where they were located - to which I told them i did not know of any drugs being in the car.
They asked if my friend did drugs while in Canada - to which I answered that I am not his keeper.
They brought my friend’s bag inside the holding pen and asked whos it was.
They then asked how much money was in the bag - he answered correctly.
After an hour and a half we were released from detention.
Everything in my car had been searched through, by hand presumably by the CBP officers.
They knew we were US citizens.
It was obvious we were not “terrorists”.
It was nothing more than harrassment.
We were NEVER arrested or told why we were being detained.
We were NEVER told that the vehicle would be searched.
I NEVER gave permission to search the vehicle nor my person.
I was late to an important event in Seattle as a result of the detention. (Continued below . . .)
So, this is the increased security at the border? Detain a couple of guys who headed into Vancouver for the weekend to enjoy the nightlife? The border is one of those places where you have no rights, but certainly an amount of respect is due. Did anyone gain from the this? No. Do I have a increased perception of safety at our border? No. Was I treated with respect? No. Did they find “the drugs”? No.
To be more effective, maybe the CBP should focus on catching terrorists and people sneaking through holes in the border. Maybe the focus shouldn’t be on whether or not a couple of guys in their mid-twenties have a joint in the car and more focused on whether the guy walking through the forest a few miles away is carrying plans to carry out some terrorist plot. There were more CBP agents stuffed in the Peace Arch Border Crossing detention area than cattle in a Wal Mart beef supplier’s feed pen.
What is hopefully my final attempt to quit smoking starts today. I don’t expect it to be easy, but I’m growing quite sick of the control I let smoking have on my life. After trying to find someone to quit with, it appears I’ll be going at this alone. Wish me luck!