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My border crossing story.


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i don't like drugs, i don't like wackos with guns, i don't like extremists with plans to hurt innocent people. any kind of check that can keep these problems away from people is fine by me. call me paranoid, that's fine.

in utopia, borders would suck. but in reality, they serve a purpose.

border guards can be dicks just like butchers can be dicks. i've been treated consistely worse at the american border too, but i don't think it's because they're assholes, i think it's because they have different job descriptions.

and the spain-france border was my worst border experience outside of the US. they searched everyone, held my passport for a couple hours, escorted everyone with rifles... scary shit. and then two days later the ETA tried to blow up a soccer stadium. that's what the border guards were looking for.

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don't forget as well, many of the border guards are also disgruntled police force rejects. i have (had, haven't seen them in many years now) 2 friends myself that went to the border when they got denied jobs with Windsor police after several tries....although they were both booth workers, not the angry people that search you and prod you after the initial questions.

Going to school in Windsor and living in Chatham has afforded me hundreds of border crossings over the years. i find that they really feed off of your body language and uncomfortable way of holding yourself.(no eye contact, break in speech..) the more calm you are the easier the interrogation usually is. this isn't all encompassing, there are some out there with something to proove.

My best advice is practice your answers.

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and the spain-france border was my worst border experience outside of the US. they searched everyone, held my passport for a couple hours, escorted everyone with rifles... scary shit. and then two days later the ETA tried to blow up a soccer stadium. that's what the border guards were looking for.

When was that? I crossed from France into Spain in October, 2001, on an overnight train (that departed from Milan, IIRC); they took my passport from me when we left (which freaked me out quite a bit, especially due to the language barrier), and I was simply given it back the next morning, no questions asked. (We actually crossed the border while I was asleep.) Aside from that, I don't remember ever having to even show my passport when crossing borders in Europe, aside from when I landed in and left from Paris.

Aloha,

Brad

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and the spain-france border was my worst border experience outside of the US. they searched everyone, held my passport for a couple hours, escorted everyone with rifles... scary shit. and then two days later the ETA tried to blow up a soccer stadium. that's what the border guards were looking for.

but did they personally demean you, swear at you, call you names, insult your intelligence, call you a liar, and/or destroy your belongings during this?

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i've never ever had a bad trip back into Canada....

I've had equally as many hassles on both sides with a great number of crossings under my belt. Since nine eleven, I find it is far easier for me crossing into the US. I havent been pulled over once. Not fucking once, whereas I was pulled over 50% of the time prior to said events.

::knocks on his woody::

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Don't you know, you're a TERRORIST until proven otherwise.

They def know how to read body language. They also pick up on people who have "practiced" their story too. Best advice, from all my experiences crossing, ONLY ANSWER WHAT THEY ASK!!!!

Border: Citizenship?

Me: Canadian

Border: Where are you going?

Me: Buffalo

Border: What for?

Me: Concert

Border: Where?

Me: Town Ballroom

Border: Who's playing?

Me: Gov't Mule

Border: Do you have a gun?

Me: no

Border: Go ahead.

Simple as that almost every time. They usually toss in an off-the-wall question to stump you if you had a pre-fab story.

Coming back in to Canada and dealing with the Canadian guards is almost always fun and friendly. Although recently I had one who was trying to be a bit of a dick (coming back from Phil @ SPAC after driving through the night)

Border: how long have you been gone?

Me: yesterday

Border: anything to declare?

Me: just one bottle of liquor

Border: YOU CAN'T BRING THAT BACK, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY DUTY!!!

Me: Yes, I know

Border: Oh, OK. Go pay for it then.

They were just bored, but it was the fact that he responded as if he had caught me trying to smuggle a bottle back when all i had done was disclose that information to him. I chuckled. The one bottle I pay for after bringing back dozens . Fair deal :)

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but did they personally demean you, swear at you, call you names, insult your intelligence, call you a liar, and/or destroy your belongings during this?

no to most of that, and and most of that has never happened to me or anyone i know going into the states. maybe you consistently get the bad apples? or maybe you answer questions wrong or behave unconciously like you have something to hide? or defensively? i dunno. i have no idea.

they did damage my car once while searching it. i claimed the damage and was reimbursed for that which i could prove, albeit after a lengthy process.

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well you really should be a border guard AD' date=' sounds like.[/quote']

since they have to deal with guns and wackos and drugs, it would possibly be the least ideal job for me. :)

hehe yeah maybe not...

then again, they'd just be such GREAT people to work with! :crazy:

i gotta get out of this thread...i get mad when i think about the border.

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have you ever been treated REALLY badly by customs officers in other foreign countries?

I've been treated like shit going both ways between Canada and the USA. I've never been treated that way anywhere else in the world. That being said, I think one thing that hasn't been considered is that the US-Canadian border is the most heavily trafficked border in the world. I mean, are you going to get better service at the Lewiston Border vs. a small border crossing in the Italian Alps. Yeah, but you're also going to get better service with your coffee in a little cafe in the Alps vs. Tim Hortons on the 401...

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i don't like drugs

I hope I never see you at another show with a beer in your hand!! YES, I went there. ;)

For the record, never had a problem crossing into the USA. *knocks wood* The only time I've been treated less than human was by Canadian border guards.

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When was that?

May 2002, from Paris to Irun or somewhere close to Irun. They did the same thing, took my passport on the train and held it overnight while we slept, but when we got off the train in Spain (not off the plane in the rain) we were marshaled by soldiers with guns into a big holding room, they gave us numbers and took our passports, when they called our number we were questioned in Spanish (they recognized we weren’t there to cause trouble when I couldn’t speak the language, or so i assume), patted down, some people were strip searched, all luggage was searched and sniffed by dogs. The whole process took about 4 hours. Sounds pretty tame, but being there was scary. And two days later 2 bombs went off before a soccer match in Madrid.

I don’t know why they were searching people coming from France as the ETA is Spanish, but I guess any time you can corral a bunch of people when you’re paranoid about bombs, you’re gonna do that. That was the only trouble I had in Europe, didn’t even need a passport the rest of the trip.

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I suspect that American border guards are trained to humiliate and insult people. If they are not trained as such then there is a vast coincidence going on. They just do not treat people with any respect whatsoever.

And looking at the drug and weapons problems in the US, it seems they suck at their jobs too.

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ive had cigarettes swabbed for explosives and drugs by canadian guards, coming back from IT into NB. hell of a time getting over thru that little shack of a crossing. they pulled me into immigration, and as i am sitting there, about 10 feet behind the guards window (this shack was tiny), some hippies pull up, guard says where ya going? phish. go ahead. sonofabitch.

it took an hour, but i got thru, it takes an hour every time, i am half american but have no documents to prove it. the dutyfree was weird there as well, the lady had to bring it around back of the building to us in our car, that was the littlest, strangest border crossing site ive seen

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tooly, the fact that you can get in, with no documents to prove it.....but so many of us can't.....shows how ass backwards the whole process is.

still wondering why i got my waiver...i've yet to enter, and really dont ever plan on it....

but i guess i can.....

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Crossing at (possibly) Queenston-Lewiston, 1997 with MarcO and three other friends - *five* people packed into one of those box-y little 1980s Honda Civic hatchbacks, on our way to see DMB in Syracuse (or maybe Rochester... or maybe both... I don't remember):

Border Guard: Do you think you could fit any more people into that car?

My buddy: Why, do you need a lift home?

Everyone else: (holding our collective breath)

Border Guard: Ha-ha-ha! No. Go ahead.

Everyone: (exhaling)

Crossing at Buffalo with MarcO on our way to see Phish at Marine Midland Arena in 1996, with all four windows rolled down so the guard can see into the car:

Border Guard (elderly female, resembling a grandmother figure): Reason for crossing?

Me: We're going to a concert at the Marine Midland Arena.

BG: Who are you going to see?

Me: Phish.

BG: Can I see your tickets?

Me: Sure.

BG: I thought you said you were going to see Phish. These tickets say Pee-Hish?

Me: Uhhhhh..... "p" and "h" combine to make an "f" sound, ma'am.

BG: Is there anyone in the back seat of your car?

(MarcO and hamilton simultaneously turn around and look into the back of the car)

Me: Uhhh, no. I hope not, ma'am.

BG: Go ahead.

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