Boarder crossing insanity - CBP gone crazy...

[myredracer]

We've been taking a TT across the US/Canada border for years. We have Nexus and are "pre-cleared" for higher security. We always use the Pacific Highway crossing in south Surrey, BC. because it's the closest one. Have been crossing the border for nearly 60 years in total.

I towed our TT down to the border mid-day last Friday by myself as I've often done. We had a Thousand Trails CG a few miles to the south booked for the long weekend and DW was going down after work in her car later in the day. Done it many many times. Easy peasy.

Well, Friday was definitely different. I was mere feet away from the Nexus booth when I got told to head over to the commercial truck lanes. It was still pretty quiet that time of day so no need to go through the commercial area. They were making all RVs go through the commercial area, Nexus or not. Very strange.

RVs were moving at a crawl, 5+ minutes for each one. Turns out that everyone was getting x-rayed. They had a sniffer dog checking RVs and a CBP officer was checking the underside of each RV.

Finally made it through - 2 hours later! That was painful. Good thing I didn't need to pee because they weren't letting anyone get out even to stretch your legs. Our dog needed to go pee though. They were clearly stalling on letting folks through. They had 5 or 6 officers processing each RV and were just standing there at times after finishing before letting you go. Obviously a stalling tactic for some reason.

Odd thing is, they didn't spend much time inside the RVs. Not sure why they did this and haven never seen it before. We do get pulled over once or twice a year to secondary for an inside inspection of our TT but this was very different.

I hate to say it, but what's next, a wall?? :R

[Harvey51]

Some really strange things happen at borders. Our son, who has common fist and last names gets put in a jail every time he crosses from Canada to USA, complete with guards pointing guns at him. The grill him for an hour, then someone asks if he is black. He says, no, and then he is free to go. It seems he has a name similar to a suspected terrorist who happens to be black.

I used to know an American lady whose son got the same treatment whenever he crossed into USA.

In January, DW and I went through customs in Vancouver on our way to Hawaii - hardly any questions and no search of our luggage.

[Alan_Hepburn]

JaxDad wrote:

I heard from someone just recently who got stuck this way. The US & Canadian gov’s now share border crossing info. They headed south with a 5’er in the fall, upon trying to re-enter Canada this spring (without the 5’er which was then in the storage yard of their C/G) the CBSA agent asked them if they’d forgotten something? They knew they had left with an RV but weren’t bringing it back home and it hadn’t been imported either. They were offered the opportunity to return and retrieve their ‘forgotten’ RV or import it into the US legally.

This ended up biting my sister decades ago: she took her family in her car to visit relatives in Victoria. No problem crossing the border, but once in Victoria she had car trouble that ended up with the car engulfed in flames. It got towed away to a junk yard, and she got a bill for import duties on the car because she wasn't taking it back home with her, and it was a smoking hulk! She drove it into Canada, and did not drive it back out, so it became an import and duty fees needed to be paid...

[toedtoes]

Grit dog wrote:
Understandably, I’d be peeved if I had to re-pack my entire rig. Thinking especially when we were moving to AK. Both times loaded to the gills with big trailers full of stuff.
But, in general, it’s either couple questions and have a nice day, or a slightly annoying list of questions.
Hoping my number doesn’t get pulled for the strip search and finger wave, lol.

But “I’m never going back to Canada....”. LOFL. Whatever. Fickle.

Happens at airports also. I had a carry on filled with glass objects. TSA took every single item out of the bag. Then said "pack up and you're free to go". Took me long enough for two more people to go through the scanner before I was repacked. No biggie. A favorite musician just happened to come through right then, so I was able to chat with him while walking to our gates. I remember that experience as positive. And the TSA wasn't just being rude. There was a pewter photo frame that had an edge shaped similar to a knife - it made perfect sense to check it out. Even if it was in the bottom of the bag.

[toedtoes]

Once, when I had arrived at the Ottawa airport, a sniffer beagle was working the customs area. Before I had left home hours earlier, my cat had been laying on my knee. The beagle came up to me and sniffed my bag and me, then started walking away. Suddenly, she turned around and came back and took an extra sniff at my knee exactly where my cat's butt had been placed.

I made the comment to the beagle "I know, that's where my cat's butt was. Smells good, eh?"

The handler was not amused at all and very directly pointed out that the beagle was trained and would not sniff unless it was potentially drugs. Of course as she had already walked away again, she and I knew that cat butt was too good not to sniff twice. :). I wasn't offended by the handler's attitude - I get it, it's a serious duty and shouldn't be trivialized (even if true).

[toedtoes]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
On one crossing into the US at Lewiston, NY after the usual "Do you have any tomatoes or nuclear weapons" questions, the officer looked sternly at our dog through the window and asked her if she had left anything behind in Canada. I told him all she left was a wet spot on the London, Ont Flying J grass when we stopped for lunch. He asked her if that was all, so I told him if she had left anything else, I would have bagged the evidence and brought it with us. Well, that broke him up, and he quickly waved us on... 🙂

Like.

[Grit_dog]

Understandably, I’d be peeved if I had to re-pack my entire rig. Thinking especially when we were moving to AK. Both times loaded to the gills with big trailers full of stuff.
But, in general, it’s either couple questions and have a nice day, or a slightly annoying list of questions.
Hoping my number doesn’t get pulled for the strip search and finger wave, lol.

But “I’m never going back to Canada....”. LOFL. Whatever. Fickle.

[westernrvparkow]

36guy wrote:
I have had more than one negative encounter on the canadian side at the Nighthawk crossing in BC, there is a guy working there who really thinks highly of himself. We have been nice, played by the rules, we have been argumentive when needed, I can tell you, the guy can be a real jerk. Every time we've crossed back into BC there, we've had an issue, every time there has been no violations and finally, we've gotten so we'll cross at Osoyoos just to avoid this jerk. Last time we crossed there I asked him politely if he had problems with his neck, he asked why, and I told him his head was beginning to not fit on his shoulders. A dirty look later we were on our way.

A perfect example of why some people observe others as "thinking highly of themselves". It is usually brought about by the observer acting in a way that communicates contempt toward that individual. All law enforcement officials are trained to maintain control and have an authoritative aura. Border agents are not there for your amusement or to be brow beaten into submission. Random checks are necessary to prevent bad actors from developing methods that would make their illegal activities easier. It wouldn't take a smuggler long to start using seenior citizens in RVs as mules if they always just got waved thru. As long as there are borders, there will be issues with border crossings.

[Dutch_12078]

On one crossing into the US at Lewiston, NY after the usual "Do you have any tomatoes or nuclear weapons" questions, the officer looked sternly at our dog through the window and asked her if she had left anything behind in Canada. I told him all she left was a wet spot on the London, Ont Flying J grass when we stopped for lunch. He asked her if that was all, so I told him if she had left anything else, I would have bagged the evidence and brought it with us. Well, that broke him up, and he quickly waved us on... 🙂

[Mr_Mark1]

JaxDad wrote:

Mr.Mark wrote:
In 2008 we decided to tour a small portion of Canada in our 'new' motorhome (2008 Monaco Dynasty).

Several years before we had taken a tour of the wine country in California bought A LOT of wine. Some of that wine made it into the motorhome in the upper cabinets in the dining and living area on the driver's side.

They let us pay the tax/fine.

It came out to $182.00 if I recall correctly.

After paying the fine, the guard told us that we have been flagged in their computer.


Safe travels,
MM.

I know it’s ‘a day late and a dollar short’, ok, 10 years late and many dollars short, but if you had said you were “transiting Canada” you would not have been ‘flagged’ and would have gotten your $182 back when you left Canada with the unopened bottles.

JaxDad,

I'm not sure if we were really 'flagged' in the computer or not. I was so glad to get out of there I was not going to ask any questions. And, they knew that we were just passing through because they asked what our plans were.

Anyway, once we got through all that that 'rigmarole', we had a nice time.

Entering the USA was easy-peasy. Just showed the agent our passports, a little small chit-chat, and off we went.

I'm afraid to take our big bus through. I don't want it torn up by a border officer just showing they have authority.

Our next tour would probably be with a group touring eastern Canada and Newfoundland.

MM.

[colliehauler]

Just like all things in life there are good and bad border agents as well. The majority of my crossings have been positive with a few negatives thrown in. They do a job very few of us would want. I will refuse to let a few surly agent's spoil my trip, it's such a small inconvenience for the majority of the trip.

You must have led a charmed life if you have never met a rude person other then a border guard, just part of life. I wonder what kind of stories border agents could tell about some of the people they have to deal with?

[36guy]

I have had more than one negative encounter on the canadian side at the Nighthawk crossing in BC, there is a guy working there who really thinks highly of himself. We have been nice, played by the rules, we have been argumentive when needed, I can tell you, the guy can be a real jerk. Every time we've crossed back into BC there, we've had an issue, every time there has been no violations and finally, we've gotten so we'll cross at Osoyoos just to avoid this jerk. Last time we crossed there I asked him politely if he had problems with his neck, he asked why, and I told him his head was beginning to not fit on his shoulders. A dirty look later we were on our way.

[navegator]

There have been a few nexus card holders caught with drugs trying to enter from Mexico, so that does not mean that you will not be searched.

It is hard to tell what they are up to, it keeps the bad elements guessing and a small inconvenience for the honest ones, just plan for longer delays that is all.

navegator

[JaxDad]

Mr.Mark wrote:
In 2008 we decided to tour a small portion of Canada in our 'new' motorhome (2008 Monaco Dynasty).

Several years before we had taken a tour of the wine country in California bought A LOT of wine. Some of that wine made it into the motorhome in the upper cabinets in the dining and living area on the driver's side.

They let us pay the tax/fine.

It came out to $182.00 if I recall correctly.

After paying the fine, the guard told us that we have been flagged in their computer.


Safe travels,
MM.

I know it’s ‘a day late and a dollar short’, ok, 10 years late and many dollars short, but if you had said you were “transiting Canada” you would not have been ‘flagged’ and would have gotten your $182 back when you left Canada with the unopened bottles.

[down_home]

navigator2346 wrote:
All I can say to the OP is to put up with it or don't cross the border.

Coming back to the US, I got everything but the drop your drawers short arm inspection from our agents.

I also got the same treatment once going into Canada from Canadian agents so I'll never cross the Canadian border again

I told our story of reentering the US at UP Michigan, a couple or more times, in 05, in our Ford Dualie sans fifth wheel.
My wife was so shaken she would not go back until I think it was 2011.
My wife was at the point of tears and I was starting to get out of the truck and deal with him gun or no gun, she pulled me back in. She was driving. I was mad but who are you going to complain to?
We drove a long way before stopping. My wife was really upset.