U.S. border guards detain Canadian woman for 5 hours, refuse entry without visa

A Vancouver woman is afraid totry to enter the United States after she was held for hours without reason and eventually denied entry at a border crossing a situationimmigration lawyers say is becoming morecommon.

Software developer Jaklyn De Vos had planned to visit her godfather in Seattle, Wash., in Aprilwhen she and her partnerwere brought in for questioning at the Sumas border crossing in Abbotsford, B.C.

After nearly five hours, a border patrol officer told her she was denied entry and that she would need a visa something not normally required for Canadians at landborder crossings to enter the U.S.again. With no criminal record or history of problems entering the U.S., De Vos said she can't understand why she has not beengiven anexplanation. The denial didn't apply to her partner, but the twodecided to turn around and return to Vancouver.

"I have friends and family in the states that I'd like to see, so it's definitely frustrating not to be able to do that or have any information about it," De Vossaid.

She also said nearly three hours into the ordeal, the border guards asked to see her and her partner's cellphones and wallets.

"It just seemed easier to comply," she said. "It was kind of a scary situation, anyway, being detained for so long."

'Definitely something in the water'

Lawyers say they have seen an uptick in the number of Canadians being denied entry, or even beingbanned from crossing into the U.S.

"There's definitely something in the water right now.We are seeing unusual denials and unusual requests we haven't seen in years prior," said Mark Belanger with Border Solutions Law Group.

Belanger said the easiest thing for people to do in situationssimilartoDe Vos's isto refuse their own entry.

"That's technically a withdrawal of your request for admission, and they will release her back into Canada," he said, even if someone isheld for questioning.

Belanger also said there are a number ofoptions for recourse.

"You can apply for an actual visa at the U.S. consulate here in Vancouver, and at the interview for the visa, you can ask questions about your case and find out some information," he said.

Belanger also recommended filing a complaint on TRIPS, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP) traveller redress program. De Vossaid thatalso led to a dead end.

"I just recently noticed that my case said closed on it, but I still haven't received any letter," she said.

A spokesperson for the CBPacknowledged the increase of "expedited removals" from the U.S.and said it was not due to policy changes or quotaswithin the department.

De Vos goesto the U.S.regularly to visit friends and family and has never had trouble entering the country before, but April's ordeal has her reconsidering those plans. She has not attempted to visit the countrysince then.

"It's definitely hard especially being so close to the border. We like to go down to go skiing and enjoy the nature there," she said. "I don't really want to get detained again."