PROBLEMS CROSSING THE U.S.-CANADA BORDER

[ilvtofu]

Originally Posted by syee

I've always wondered about that. While I don't go to Pt Roberts, I have seen CBP cars cruising around Blaine and was wondering if they were looking out for people trying to sneak stuff over. From watching people at the receiving place I'm at, I'd say about 80% of the people that are there are blatantly trying to sneak stuff over the border without declaring it. (You can see them cutting off tags, getting rid of boxes, etc) I wouldn't be surprised if they start doing the same thing in Blaine.

As for taking stuff down, I've driven into the US with my stock springs/struts that I sold to someone on a forum and declared it and they just waved me on. Same with my 17-55 f2.8 Canon lens I was sending off for repair. They didn't even flinch and just waved me on my way after I declared it to them.

By declare the CBSA guy meant to park at the Canadian office first and declaring it, similar to how when you travel you go to the airport and you fill out the little card with your s/n's etc. not declare to the U.S. guy since as we have already determined the communication between those two parties is generally poor

[marksport]

Not sure what the TSB has to do with crossing border here. TSB is the Transport Safety Board of Canada. CBSA is the Customs and Border Services Agency of Canada which used to be Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. CBP is the US Customs and Border Protection, along with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement are part of the US DHS, Department of Homeland Security. Government sure loves acronyms.

CBP doesn't really care about you trying to bring in some stuff you bought without declaring to CBSA coming back into Canada as long it isn't contraband or commercial goods. It is their job as Border Patrol officers to drive around and catch border jumpers as these tend to be smugglers and illegal aliens.

The sharing of information often has issues with privacy concerns and how long that information is kept for and how it is used.

[TypeRNammer]

Originally Posted by marksport

Not sure what the TSB has to do with crossing border here. TSB is the Transport Safety Board of Canada. CBSA is the Customs and Border Services Agency of Canada which used to be Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. CBP is the US Customs and Border Protection, along with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement are part of the US DHS, Department of Homeland Security. Government sure loves acronyms.

CBP doesn't really care about you trying to bring in some stuff you bought without declaring to CBSA coming back into Canada as long it isn't contraband or commercial goods. It is their job as Border Patrol officers to drive around and catch border jumpers as these tend to be smugglers and illegal aliens.

The sharing of information often has issues with privacy concerns and how long that information is kept for and how it is used.

ilvtofu is talking about TSB shipping in Point Roberts.

I hope that clears it up a bit.

[ilvtofu]

Originally Posted by marksport

Not sure what the TSB has to do with crossing border here. TSB is the Transport Safety Board of Canada. CBSA is the Customs and Border Services Agency of Canada which used to be Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. CBP is the US Customs and Border Protection, along with ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement are part of the US DHS, Department of Homeland Security. Government sure loves acronyms.

CBP doesn't really care about you trying to bring in some stuff you bought without declaring to CBSA coming back into Canada as long it isn't contraband or commercial goods. It is their job as Border Patrol officers to drive around and catch border jumpers as these tend to be smugglers and illegal aliens.

The sharing of information often has issues with privacy concerns and how long that information is kept for and how it is used.

Lol what typernammer said, TSB that I'm referring to is a company down in point roberts, same with the letter carrier etc.

[Happy]

I wasn't sure to make a new thread or ask it here

I've been accused for 3 criminal charges throughout my life, 2 as a youth and 1 as an adult. All three have been dropped before they even made it to the PTA. The last one however was a Trafficking charge. I don't have any criminal charges but I'm pretty sure my "accusations" would encourage the border patrol to harass me. I'm getting my license back soon and will be making trips to the states for gas pretty often. I know it's best for me to go over there and see what happens. But I'm kind of curious to see what information I can get beforehand about crossing, has anyone been in a similar situation?

When they tear your car apart, they carefully take everything apart and don't damage anything correct? Are we allowed to record them incase they damage something? How severe is the harassment? (Am I going to get questioned for 5 hours to see if I have any drugs.) I'm not fimiliar with border patrol at all if someone can fill me in. Thanks

[Glove]

^ if your that worried, just buy gas locally man, they can smell fear.




for me I think I have the (wave through flag) on both sides.

I come up to the border guy and he asks me where im going, and I say shopping and mail,

he asks what mail?

I say car parts

and im through, within 30 seconds every time.

When I come back the ONLY question the guy asks me is,

total value?

I say 500 bucks or something,

ok go ahead,

he doesnt even ask about alcohol or tobacco or anything anymore, just total value.

literally 15 seconds through.

its been like this for me for the last few years,

I do go quite often though, once a month / every 2 months.

Sometimes they ask what the air compressor in my trunk is for,

and then I explain about the train horn,

then they get a good laugh and let me through, one time the guy wanted to hear it and closed his sliding door and window and let me lay on the horn and dephen the whole border,



he was laughing his ass off in the booth., he even forgot to give me my passport back and I drove off because we were just laughing too much, Had to do a U-ey to get it, once I did the U-ey I had 3 officers come at my car and told me to stop and ask why im turning around, it was all good when I said the guy forgot to give me my passport, then one of them fetched it for me.


I have so many other good border stories too, those guys are awsome, I always have a good time with them. Especially when my GF is in the car with me, then they start asking her questions like,

Are you here out of your free will mam?
Why are you dating him?
How did you meet him?
How much younger are you than him?
Are you making him take you shopping?
How long have you been dating him? (7 years) Why hasnt he proposed yet?


shit like that, they like to have a good time too and poke fun.

[Happy]

I'm not worried and have nothing to hide so I don't see a reason to be fearful

Just wanted some info from guys that had accusations of charges before, I'll just go over myself and see what happens then post the story here lol

[anti_rice]

you may get questioned coming back into canada as well because of your "criminal history" Worst case scenerio going into the US is they refuse you entry. However coming back into canada you might be subject to more vigirous searches and background checks.

[snails]

reading all this brings up a question, having a modified car will obviously get attention, but can they really tear your car up? and im not talking just moving things but cut all your stuff up?

[El Bastardo]

Originally Posted by snails

reading all this brings up a question, having a modified car will obviously get attention, but can they really tear your car up? and im not talking just moving things but cut all your stuff up?

My thread in the member's journal forum has people calling me a ricer, plus I hear people whispering it behind my back at the threads so I'm pretty qualified to tell you I'm speaking from experience here:

They won't slice your seats open and crack interior panels in half. They won't pry back your dash board.

I've had my car inspected a few times but aside from my contents of my boot being shuffled around, no problems. I'm usually inside for the inspections but I've seen them walking around with that dog of theirs so they likely ran the dog through looking for drugs too.

The only problem I've had was years ago when I had my CRX and they left my bottle of glass cleaner open (apparently being transparent isn't good enough. they needed to truly inspect it) and it spilled all over my boot when I drove away.

Now this is talking about the Canadian and US border crossings local to the 604 area code. If you're crossing from Mexico into Canada, its another story

[bballguy]

Originally Posted by El Bastardo

If you're crossing from Mexico into Canada, its another story

wat

[NLY]

Originally Posted by El Bastardo

If you're crossing from Mexico into Canada, its another story

[El Bastardo]

Originally Posted by bballguy

wat

I've done the crossing from Tijuana to San Diego and from Juarez to El Paso which were pretty standard (I guess).

They ran the dog around my car, knocked on my exterior body panels, kept me in the car while they tossed around in the hatch. They even had this handheld device they held against my windshield while pointed at my dash. I can only assume its a heat sensor to check for extra passengers.

I was once in the Tijuana/San Diego border lineup for almost two hours in the summer heat and no AC. By the time I got to the border I was soaked in sweat and looked like I had jumped into a pool wearing my clothes.

The border crossing between Acuna and Del Rio is another story.


For those of you who don't know about the Texas/Mexico border crossing, its along the Rio Grande. The river serves as a natural land border which means you have to cross a bridge to get to the other side. (This is where the name "Wetback" comes from. If you're crossing the river to immigrate illegally, your back gets wet) but I digress.

The bridge has a toll. You pay it going into Mexico and you pay it going back. (Ever seen No Country for Old Men? The bridge that Josh Brolin crosses into Mexico is that crossing). After spending time in Acuna I had to pay the toll to get back into the USA. I don't carry cash so I had to give up a pair of my sunglasses to pay the guy to let me cross.

I get to the border and this is pretty late at night. Probably around 1. The border guard on the USA side pulls me into the building for an 'inspection' and they toss my car. They're taking my back seat out, they're putting lights and what i assume to be are those flexible plumbing cameras behind my body panels. They're under my hood inspecting my fluids to see if I have anything stashed in there. I thought they saw that I had to bribe the bridge toll taker to get back and was wondering if I was some sort of shady character.

I was in the office for almost two hours. It was this sweaty little lobby drenched in the August humidity of a hot Texas night. The border guard watching me was indifferent to the temperature but I probably looked suspicious as all hell sweating like a whore in church. I blame it on the fact that as a Canadian I'm not acclimated to that kind of climate. I didn't have anything to hide but I probably looked extremely suspicious.

The guy then called me up to sign a book. It was like a hotel guest book but it was full of people from all over the world. Dates, times, countries of origin were all listed. Apparently anybody who crosses at that particular sleepy little border has to be cataloged if they're not a citizen of the USA or Mexico which I found odd, but at 3am and with a car jumbled all to hell (with my rear seat sitting in my folded down passenger seat) I wasn't going to argue. I just wanted to sleep. I just drove away, worn out by the process. In retrospect, the border guards were probably just bored and curious as to what kind of person from Canada would cross from Mexico into the USA at 1am on a Wednesday.

Seriously, some border crossings just aren't worth it folks. Don't bother going to see Acuna.

[ruthless]

Originally Posted by anti_rice

you may get questioned coming back into canada as well because of your "criminal history" Worst case scenerio going into the US is they refuse you entry. However coming back into canada you might be subject to more vigirous searches and background checks.

You may get questioned coming back into Canada but they cannot deny you entry since you are a citizen. You may be examined further due to the criminal charges (trafficking or w.e.). The more vigorous searches would be going into the U.S.

Originally Posted by Happy

I wasn't sure to make a new thread or ask it here

I've been accused for 3 criminal charges throughout my life, 2 as a youth and 1 as an adult. All three have been dropped before they even made it to the PTA. The last one however was a Trafficking charge. I don't have any criminal charges but I'm pretty sure my "accusations" would encourage the border patrol to harass me. I'm getting my license back soon and will be making trips to the states for gas pretty often. I know it's best for me to go over there and see what happens. But I'm kind of curious to see what information I can get beforehand about crossing, has anyone been in a similar situation?

When they tear your car apart, they carefully take everything apart and don't damage anything correct? Are we allowed to record them incase they damage something? How severe is the harassment? (Am I going to get questioned for 5 hours to see if I have any drugs.) I'm not fimiliar with border patrol at all if someone can fill me in. Thanks

Going into the U.S. have some sort of official paperwork from the court or w.e. stating that you had the charges dropped. It should show them that you were not prosecuted.

When they tear the car apart they will not try to purposely break anything but if they do call them out on it and they should replace it for you(give you a form to fill out for reimbursement). Just check before you leave. Also if they have any suspicion they can and will tear your car apart, and I mean take off the fenders and everything. Also it is up to you to put everything back together.

You cannot record them (American or Canadian) as you will not be allowed to watch them while you are searching. The U.S. CBP is stricter then the CBSA, and honestly you may get questioned for some time, maybe a couple of hours. If they do decide you to send you inside for further examination just be polite and honest and it shouldn't be difficult, it may take some time, but if you start acting out in any way, it will take much longer.

Originally Posted by snails

reading all this brings up a question, having a modified car will obviously get attention, but can they really tear your car up? and im not talking just moving things but cut all your stuff up?

they can, but they better have some solid proof before they start taking off the body panels and such.

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by El Bastardo

They won't slice your seats open and crack interior panels in half. They won't pry back your dash board.

Yes, they might.

I know of someone that got a rear panel slashed by the border agents, and he had nothing. It was the leather panel behind the middle armrest of the backseat. Long slash probably 15cm long.

[InvisibleSoul]

Originally Posted by Happy

I wasn't sure to make a new thread or ask it here

I've been accused for 3 criminal charges throughout my life, 2 as a youth and 1 as an adult. All three have been dropped before they even made it to the PTA. The last one however was a Trafficking charge. I don't have any criminal charges but I'm pretty sure my "accusations" would encourage the border patrol to harass me. I'm getting my license back soon and will be making trips to the states for gas pretty often. I know it's best for me to go over there and see what happens. But I'm kind of curious to see what information I can get beforehand about crossing, has anyone been in a similar situation?

When they tear your car apart, they carefully take everything apart and don't damage anything correct? Are we allowed to record them incase they damage something? How severe is the harassment? (Am I going to get questioned for 5 hours to see if I have any drugs.) I'm not fimiliar with border patrol at all if someone can fill me in. Thanks

Let's get your terms in order, so that you don't fumble your words when you get questioned.

Arrested - Being detained by an officer
Charged - Actually having charges laid against you
Convicted - Actually being convicted of a charge

So were you charged with trafficking, but not convicted? Or were you just arrested, but got let off without being charged?

If you were not charged, almost for sure the US border agent will not have a record of the incident.

If you were charged, not sure whether they have a record of it.

If you were convicted, then you're probably not getting through the border.

[snails]

Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul

Yes, they might.

I know of someone that got a rear panel slashed by the border agents, and he had nothing. It was the leather panel behind the middle armrest of the backseat. Long slash probably 15cm long.

im just going to keep tools in my car, if they ask to tear apart i will offer to just take everything apart so they can see

[ruthless]

Originally Posted by snails

im just going to keep tools in my car, if they ask to tear apart i will offer to just take everything apart so they can see

lol you will be sitting inside the office while they go through your car, you are not even allowed to stand by and watch...good luck trying to dismantle your car yourself....not gonna happen...maybe drive a stripped out car?

[seakrait]

Originally Posted by InvisibleSoul

Let's get your terms in order, so that you don't fumble your words when you get questioned.

Arrested - Being detained by an officer
Charged - Actually having charges laid against you
Convicted - Actually being convicted of a charge

So were you charged with trafficking, but not convicted? Or were you just arrested, but got let off without being charged?

If you were not charged, almost for sure the US border agent will not have a record of the incident.

If you were charged, not sure whether they have a record of it.

If you were convicted, then you're probably not getting through the border.

QFT. Though sometimes I hear stories of people wondering how USA CBP know information about them that isn't charges and convictions. There must be some information sharing agreement into the local police database (PRIME) that isn't very publicized. So don't be surprised if they do bring up that Trafficking file (assuming that the file as from here and not from out East or something).

And, of course, be honest with them but only volunteer information that they have asked for. You have no control over your information once the US government gets a hold of it. And you know they take their border security pretty seriously.

I would make an Freedom of Information request (or an Access To Information and Privacy request if your files are with an RCMP detachment) for copies of your files for your records as well as any court documents that detail the current status of your court files (if any).

[bartone]

I believe if you are convicted, you will be turned away and probably detained for a while as they search you. especially for a trafficking charge.

[MG1]

Originally Posted by ruthless

Thanks given for avatar.

[hal0g0dv2]

hey just a quick question
how strict are they if you are driving over someone's car that is not yours like a family friends and they are not in the car but they lent you the car.

maybe a noob question but thanks

[smaggs]

Originally Posted by hal0g0dv2

hey just a quick question
how strict are they if you are driving over someone's car that is not yours like a family friends and they are not in the car but they lent you the car.

maybe a noob question but thanks

I've done it before, but the owner of the car was driving another of his cars behind us.

Going south, they asked us who's it is and we said the guy behind us and they just asked why we were driving it...they weren't really that bothered. Coming north they didn't ask if it was my car so I'm not sure what they would have done.

[ruthless]

Originally Posted by hal0g0dv2

hey just a quick question
how strict are they if you are driving over someone's car that is not yours like a family friends and they are not in the car but they lent you the car.

maybe a noob question but thanks

They are not strict per say but be prepared to get questioned. My cousin drove his brothers car across and he was questioned for a few hours since he didn't have a letter stating he could, and his brothers family was on a plane headed to Seattle so no way for them to contact him.

Ensure you have a letter from the registered owner which shows that you have permission to drive the car and has the contact information on it. Also tell the owner to be prepared for a phone call.

[Volvo-brickster]

Originally Posted by ruthless

maybe drive a stripped out car?

Yea I did that once...crossed with half my car stripped down.

They searched it anyways. Made it easier for half of the car at least lol