INSIDE

Stories from the border...

Publisher note: Last issue we asked readers to send in their stories and experiences going through the border at Point Roberts and Blaine. Following are submissions we received from Point Roberts and Blaine residents and visitors. Do you have a story you would like to tell? Send it to publisher@allpointbulletin.com. All requests for anonymity will be strictly observed.

Here are my most annoying border crossing pet peeves. I hope you will accept them from me anonymously.

It is inappropriate for male or female border officers to call a person crossing the border by anything other than that person’s name. This “honey,” “sweetie,” “smiley” stuff is not only offensive; it makes the officer look silly.

Speaking of silly, right or wrong, busting someone at the Point Roberts border for a bulb of garlic or gladiolas is not border security! You just diminish respect for all officers.

Officers should be mindful of other cars in their lanes. If you want to chat with someone about personal matters, please do so on your own time and not during your time at work. You claim that you are just doing your job and investigating people. If so, then why do I have to listen to how many children you have, where you’ve been stationed, or why is it that on summer days you take a really long time when processing a carload of young women?

When a supervisor supports an officer’s decision he or she knows, or strongly believes, is wrong, just to show solidarity with that officer, the supervisor has compromised his or her authority. An ombudsman who does not have a vested interest would help.

The zero tolerance policy in NEXUS does not take into account that we are human, and as such, we make mistakes. If you forget one thing you bought at the store and do not declare it, you could lose your NEXUS card. There most definitely needs to be a warning mechanism in place before you lose the card.

Not only should there be a statute of limitations on offenses that bar a person from getting NEXUS, cars in the NEXUS lane should never be processed slower than those in the regular lane.

A little power goes a long way with some of the officers. I am sorry that you chose to become a border officer. I am sorry that you have to sit in the booth asking the same questions over and over. I am sorry that you are stationed at Point Roberts. But it is not my fault. Please don’t take out your unhappiness on me. Instead, go get a new job.

One of the quickest improvements is to find a job for Jackson (the basketball guy) that involves no contact with the public.
From a Point Roberts resident and many friends and neighbors.

It would surely make some sense to consider whether U.S. agricultural regulations make any sense at all in Point Roberts. It’s hard to believe that people are buying oranges in Tsawwassen and then shipping them in great numbers down to the mainland via the marina as an industry.

Moreover, that discussion should be presented to the residents of Point Roberts. If you are going to have rules, you should be able to give a reasonable explanation for why those rules make sense: why they can achieve your objectives. Increasingly, one senses that the rules make no sense and they are enforced with great insistence, in the hopes that no one will be able to point out that they make no sense given the objective.

It would make sense to have uniform rules. In my experience, for example, some border guards think you can bring Canadian apples in until April. Others think March. Others want a label on the apple. Others want a sealed plastic bag. I can live with any of the rules, but it drives me crazy to have no consistent rules.

May I repeat consistency: Recently a border guard told me I should have a written list of any produce or meats that I bring in. I made the list and the next border person dropped it at his feet, dismissively.
I realize it’s difficult to work constantly with members of the public. But if that’s your job, you have to learn to do it with grace and politeness or get a different job. I would like there to be some way to report poor ‘customer’ relations (we may not be customers in the usual sense, but we are paying their salaries). But there is no way to identify these people. Could they wear badges with a first or a last name on them that is readable. Or a plaque on the booth indicating some kind of identification that can be easily read from the car. You may not want to use full names, I understand, but surely just a single name would not be a problem?

Boy, do I not want the border people to know my name in association with these suggestions. Everyone’s feeling is they are happy to exact petty revenge.

I hope it is not too late for this week’s issue but would you make a plea to Rick Larsen, Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell, and Christine Gregoire to come up and hold a meeting here on the Point regarding all the border problems? They were all active in the passport/ID border initiative issue so they can help out now. I have been calling Jasper about either coming up or having Rick up since the end of July and although he’s been sympathetic, there has been no action. I called again today and there was more feet dragging. Artis at Patty’s office was sympathetic but was not sure what can be done other than getting clarification.

My wife and I certainly agree with your comments re: NEXUS. It needs change. I was refused admission in 2002 when NEXUS began, because I was arrested for being in a fist fight in 1964. (Yes, 43 years ago.) Since my arrest, I taught elementary and high school for 32 years, participated in various community associations and never crossed the law. But time doesn’t appear to matter with NEXUS applicants. I certainly think there should be a statute of limitations.

My wife and I have been coming into the U.S.A. regularly since we were married in 1968 and were members of PACE with no violations. When NEXUS began, I was rejected as mentioned above and my wife was accepted. This posed major problems as we always travel together. She had NEXUS and I did not. This often led to my walking across the border while she drove, resulting in customs having to deal with each of us separately instead of jointly. Thus, since we were using different methods of entry, more time was spent by us as well as the border officers in order to allow us to enter the U.S.A. Her NEXUS came up for review in July. She applied and received a rejection notice stating: “You are otherwise ineligible to use a U.S. Dedicated Commuter Lane.” No further explanation was or has been provided. She did not violate any of the NEXUS rules during the previous five years and had no reason to expect anything other then renewal of her NEXUS pass. Since there is no appeal or ombudsman, she has no idea what she needs to do in order to once again obtain a NEXUS pass.

We do not want our names published but any ideas, help or assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Here is a good denial story.
I had sent in my NEXUS renewal and my $50 to get it denied and to find out I had an agricultural violation in 2005 that I did not know was on my record.

Turns out in 2005 I was pushing my husband in the wheelchair to catch a flight at Vancouver Airport (had heart, cancer and diabetes) to go to our grandson’s wedding in Anchorage. Someone came up while he was eating a pear and said you cannot bring that in. I said “can’t he eat it as he is a diabetic” and they said no throw it in this trash can. End of conversation.

1. We were not in NEXUS - did not come through NEXUS at the border either as my folks did not have NEXUS.

2. They did not ask where we bought the pears – a White Rock fruit stand. Guess they looked our passports up and found we had NEXUS. If it was such a horrid violation to have a Canadian pear, why did they not send a letter and take our passes away then. We went to the U.S. border at NEXUS and like the letter said no appeal. The letter said I could in 90 days send another $50 and reapply and tell my story and the U.S. border said, yes, I can but they will take my $50 again and still say no as zero tolerance on agriculture. They gave me an ombudsman’s address in Vermont and said it would be useless to write. Guess so, that was a month ago and have not heard from them. I guess I got the violation as I was pushing the wheelchair and now I am a Pearroist. 

Although most of us delight in reading a salacious and/or unsavory story, I have to report that as a frequent border crosser (2-3 times weekly) my interactions with border personnel are unfailingly agreeable. Indeed, the American guards in the Peace Arch NEXUS lane always greet me pleasantly, and most really work at getting me to smile. (And no, I am not a pretty young thing, just an average, somewhat overweight boomer.) The regular-lane guards, on both Canadian and U.S. sides, may not always be as friendly, but they’re professional and only rarely subject me to their understandably frayed nerves. On the other hand, I have been surprised by the attitude and rudeness displayed by some of my friends, when answering the guards. That said, I agree that crossing the border is mostly a nightmare and every trip must be analyzed in depth. Figuring out the best days of the week, then the times to cross both south and north bound which differ depending on whether you use Peace Arch or the truck crossing, almost requires a spreadsheet – gone are the days of spontaneous excursions. Added to that are the cheaters on the B.C. side who zoom through the NEXUS lane avoiding an hour or two of waiting in the regular lane, only to hold up the NEXUS travelers as they unsuccessfully attempt to crowd back into their legitimate lane. I certainly understand and do not criticize the drivers who, after sitting in line for long periods, won’t let these cheaters push ahead of them, but it’s most frustrating to be held up unfairly in the NEXUS lane. Happily, that problem was recently corrected for the most part by a sentinel who now guards the NEXUS lane at its inception.
Getting and keeping a NEXUS card is another problem. Not only is it a long wait to be approved, but two of my friends (not related to me or each other) have been refused because of indiscretions committed ages ago. These folks have been law-abiding professionals for decades, but it seems there is no way to expunge their records nor appeal a NEXUS decision. Another friend lost his NEXUS card because he did not think of declaring a lunch purchased in the U.S. that was sitting half eaten on the passenger seat. He didn’t attempt to hide it, nor did he deny its country of origin, he simply didn’t realize this $2 item had to be declared. (Had his line been longer, he would have finished his lunch and presumably would not have lost his card.) However, his subsequent appeal and re-application have been refused. It seems, that an appeals board or ombudsman would be welcome.

Unfortunately, I have no real suggestions except for a constant, up-to-date, radio transmission that gives accurate reporting on border conditions. A Vancouver B.C. station, 1130 AM, does a pretty good job of reporting the southbound conditions every 10 minutes throughout the day during the summer months, but they often neglect the north-bound line ups, and their reports have been sparse since Labor Day. In the meantime, let’s all hope that they open more booths and that all construction proceeds smoothly and quickly.

Osama Bin Laden is not hiding out in White Rock. Canadians did not blow up the World Trade Center. Forcing Canadians to wait in long lines and be subjected to intrusive interrogation at the Pacific and Peace Arch border crossings, contribute nothing to our mutual national security. What is needed is a political agreement forged at the highest levels of our governments, whereby U.S. and Canadian intelligence and law enforcement agencies cooperate completely with one another against the war on terror. The existing system is expensive, time consuming and completely ineffective. This whole border crossing aberration has become a bureaucracy that feeds on itself,primarily, for its own existence. Canadians are neither terrorist nor are they the enemy. They deserve our respect. The U.S. is running out of friends. Let’s not alienate the Canadians and lose their friendship as well.

While I know it must be frustrating for visitors crossing the border, it can be equally frustrating for those of us just trying to get home from Bellingham or trying to get to the only grocery store in Blaine via I-5.
On several occasions, my husband and I have both had to drive on the shoulder (probably illegal – don’t tell the police) of the freeway to get off at exit 276 (the exit closest to our home in Blaine) because of the border line-up.

On one occasion, I thought I was being smart by getting off at exit 275 to go to the grocery store on my way home from Bellingham. I will never do that again! I got stuck in border traffic; the reason I didn’t turn around and go someplace else is because there is no place to turn around and nowhere else to go.

I hope that the people doing the construction will create permanent local access lanes so we “locals” don’t have to wait in the border line-up just to go about our daily errands.

My NEXUS application has been rejected twice, the result, allegedly, of a DUI offense incurred 25 years ago, and which the form rejection letter characterized as a criminal offense.

I have taken the time and made the effort to check with the motor vehicle departments in both the state in which I lived at that time, and the state in which the offense was incurred. My driving record from both states is squeaky clean, reflecting no traffic violations whatsoever. I volunteered the information to the interviewing officer at the NEXUS office, and he denied the card, unilaterally, on the spot ... thus placing me in the humiliating category of security risk.

I quote from the form rejection letter: “While an appeal of this is not available, you may re-apply for participation in NEXUS. Applications will not be considered until 90 days has passed following the date of this letter.” One wonders what happened to habeas corpus!

Something has to be done about the manner in which good citizens are being treated by a bureaucracy gone mad.

In response to your request for border crossing experiences: We live in Birch Bay. We returned from Chilliwack last month at the Sumas crossing. There are two lanes southbound, the one on the right is the same one that traffic from the duty free store is channeled into. That lane then continues on to a single inspection station. The lane on the left splits into three lanes just yards prior to the crossing which then continue on to three inspection stations. Yep, we were in the right lane and watched all the vehicles in the left lane pass us. It took us two hours to get through the border while the wait in the left lane was about 45 minutes.

Wouldn’t you think that someone in charge would have enough sense to fix that? Also, I have a friend who told me some time back that he had a DUI in the U.S. 13 years ago. He said he was refused NEXUS because of it. However, he was told he could enter Canada after 10 years if he had no further violations. Well, if he is allowed to enter Canada, what difference would it make if he entered on a NEXUS or another way?

Please honor my request for confidentiality as stated in your article. I don’t want Canada Customs to get my name and put me in their computer. I don’t want any problems when I visit Canada. Thank you.

I am a U.S. citizen living in Point Roberts. Whilst crossing at Huntingdon, the young lady in the booth asked where I was going, and I said I had an appointment in Lynden. Then she said, “What is your appointment for?”

I was completely taken aback at this invasion of my privacy and so I said it was none of her business, and that I was a U.S. citizen who hadn’t done anything wrong and I had every right to enter my own country and go wherever I wished. She repeated her question again and I repeated my response. Obviously getting annoyed, she stated she could ask any question she felt like asking. I told her “Go ahead – see if I answer.” This went on for about 10 minutes.

On reflection I wish I’d coughed at her and said something like “I’m going to the doctor’s to get tested for the Ebola virus.” Eventually though she let me through, possibly remembering her training enough to realize she had no grounds to stop me. However, before I left, I told her I wish I was rich enough to own a boat and not have to deal with the border again. She then said, in as vague and unsure a voice as I could imagine, “You’d still have to clear the border but it would be a different one.”

I’m quite sure she had no clue where Point Roberts was or which country it is in. How well trained are these people at Hopeless Insecurity, anyway? 

This counts as hearsay, but I totally trust the source, as it is my nurse in Lynden. She was entering the U.S. at Peace Arch having shopped in White Rock. The (male) officer asked her what she’d bought and she said “clothing” and then he asked “Did you get any “undies?” She was shocked and said “I beg your pardon?” He grinned, knowing full well she’d heard but had no power against his authority, and then let her proceed. I hope everyone who reads this is as disgusted as I was to hear it.

On an interesting note, I’ve never had a problem at the Point Roberts border with any of the officials, but I found it amusing on the afternoon of August 31st, when the NEXUS lane was held up for a minute or two while a border official showed the hot-off-the-press All Point Bulletin to her comrade in the booth.

I haven’t had any really unpleasant experiences in the NEXUS lane, but I am concerned about renewing my application in January 2008 when it expires. I have heard if you have only one incident of wrongdoing entered in your file, they will not renew your application.

The agricultural rules are quite inappropriate for Point Roberts! You can’t bring in a green onion, whole lentils (but split ones are okay), a gladioli bulb – come on! Give me a break! And each time you cross, there seems to be a new rule – therefore, my “one incident of wrongdoing” mentioned above. There should definitely be a statute of limitations on prior misdeeds preventing NEXUS membership and/or an appeals board.

I do not feel NEXUS should be dropped in favor of two lanes open all of the time.  Thank you for allowing me to comment!

It’s very clear to me that had our governments foreseen the expense and nonsense we’ve inflicted on the taxpayers and especially on ourselves with this ill-placed border, they’d have agreed it belongs to B.C. in a heartbeat.

In the long run, I think that’s still the right answer though I don’t expect that to happen unless/until people die because of the border crossing. Deaths tend to focus people’s attention. Until then, the NEXUS lane makes vacationing here quite endurable. If I lose my pass or the lane is shut, I’m outta here.

I read with joy your request for “border stories.” I can personally confirm that every gathering I have been at over the past few months has been peppered with people recounting their unpleasant Point Roberts border crossings. Many of those people cross at the Peace Arch border and on the Canadian side often, but interestingly there are few complaints about those crossings.

I could not possibly put in one letter all the absurd experiences I have had and heard about border crossings at Point Roberts in my eight years of residency, as I do not have the time, nor does the paper have the space. But suffice it to say that the “borderline behavior” exhibited by the majority of the officers diminishes the seriousness of their positions. Do they want to protect their country or are they really as most of us think of them just the “food police?” I would suggest that if they were to wear their job with dignity and use some common sense there would be no need for a border ombudsman. Alas, that is not the case.

I would be in favor of a border ombudsman. One example: to be written up and have your NEXUS pass application denied because you had a cut up apple (seeds removed) in a plastic bag for your three-year-old child’s snack is just ludicrous. Unfortunately, that is only one story of many unsound decisions made by officers at the Point; we need an ombudsman because if you ask three officers if something is allowed, you will likely get three different answers. I would also suggest that as Point Roberts is a geographic anomaly with no attachment to the mainland, the rest of the United States would not be in jeopardy should a garlic clove or a cut up apple get past the “food police.” Point Roberts should be entitled to more tolerant agricultural restrictions.

On a recent trip to the interior I found that these unsavory stories travel far and wide. A wonderful elderly woman named Edna, upon my telling her I lived in Point Roberts, told me although she used to love coming to the Point, she no longer comes as she and her three girlfriends (all over 70) were so intimidated and treated so disrespectfully by a border officer in July, for no valid reason, they did not want to come back.

It is wrong and may I suggest overstepping their mandated authority that some of the officers make honest people tremble for no valid reason! For many of us, what should be the pleasant act of coming home has been marred by anticipating a disagreeable border crossing for far too long. We need a border ombudsman.
Name withheld out of fear

I feel so sorry for the businesses of Point Roberts that do their best, but face an awful struggle when most of their customers have to endure not only long line-ups and but also rude and discourteous behavior by certain border personnel. Many are excellent, but there are enough of the others that it makes a Canadian wonder just why he should come here if he is so unwelcome. Just about every one of my neighbors has a story about an unwitting purchase of a green onion or an avocado and the written warning on their file and the threat that their NEXUS pass may not be renewed. Common sense does not exist. No recognition is given to the fact that the agricultural rules often change and even the border personnel do not know some of them.

The Department of Homeland Security is by and large a total waste of time and money. It takes an enormous toll on the economy of both the U.S. and Canada, particularly on border communities like Point Roberts. (It is interesting to note that while we have a Berlin Wall mentality at the U.S. border office, they ignore the several open paths along Roosevelt Way that people still use regularly to cross the border.) The border personnel stop virtually nothing that would really pose a threat to the U.S. People should recall that all of the hijackers of 9/11 were in the country legally.

The knee-jerk reaction of the U.S. administration to 9/11 was so out of proportion to reality it is mind boggling. Osama won big time thanks to the reaction of the administration. Creation of Guantanamo and the suspension of other liberties by Bush will go down as a black mark on U.S. history.

Europe is certainly more of a hotbed of potential terrorism, yet you can drive from Paris to Berlin, former entrenched enemies, and never cross a checkpoint. They have figured out that open borders are a boon to the economy and pose little if any threat to national security. This is not the Middle East. Ottawa and Washington are supposed to be friends and allies, so why the wall?

On more than one occasion I have thought that if I did not already own my cottage here and have a life long attachment to the Point, I would not even consider making a purchase here. Hopefully sanity will prevail in the long run and we can return to the old days of open hands across the border.

I am so glad to see that you are doing an article on this subject. I have been going to the Point for over 40 years and it saddens me to see the way things have gone over the past few years. Of course we have all had a cranky guard at the border but they are only human and so we look past that and carry on.

However, this summer I had a nightmare experience at the border into Point Roberts which I am still fighting to have corrected. I was bullied and intimidated. I was threatened with being put in handcuffs and he threatened to subdue me. My crime? I didn’t do anything wrong. I had followed the rules and regulations to the nth. However, the officer said I did a “drop off.” I did not “drop off.” I was in the regular line with someone who did not have NEXUS. The NEXUS line was open and we were stopped about a quarter mile from the border. The previous night it had taken us one hour to get through to our cottage. I pulled out of the regular line onto the shoulder of the road. My passenger got out – I pulled into the NEXUS lane and cleared customs.

I went to the store and came back thinking my passenger would have walked through by then. My passenger was being detained because the officer thought I had taken through her personal possessions. I did not have anything in my car except my own stuff. Our clothes, etc. were at the cottage as we had come down the night before. I am now in the process of having the incident investigated by border personnel but I have been told that my NEXUS is revoked because he said I had something in my car that wasn’t mine. He never asked me if whatever he found was mine he just assumed it wasn’t. Therefore, because he is “highly trained” he must be telling the truth.

Well I say he didn’t follow protocol by showing me what he “found” and asking if it was mine. I have been told by NEXUS that I can apply for another card but I won’t get one. Once your card has been revoked you will never get another card. So, people save your money.

When I reflect on the NEXUS program I see it is a nice convenience. Convenient for me in crossing the border and convenient for both the Canadian and American governments to delve into my past, get my thumb print, get my picture and get my money. A good way for them to profile you without you knowing. I also know people who have had up to three warnings about violations of NEXUS rules so why did I get mine revoked immediately? My 80-year-old friend just had hers taken for bringing into the U.S. a package of pork sausages. Her crime was that somewhere in the ingredients list (printed in minute letters) there may be up to one percent beef. 

I should clarify that when the officer threatened to handcuff me, my crime was to ask “why” when he asked for my NEXUS card. The first thing he said to me was “Give me your NEXUS card” when I asked why he again asked for my card and again I asked why he then said he would handcuff me and take it off my person. Is that the way things are done? Just so you know – I am 58-years-old and not in the best shape as far as being a threat to anyone, the officer is probably over 6 feet tall and I’m 5'4."

There needs to be an appeals system and a limitation on the “sentence” when your card is revoked. There should be an ombudsman. They can settle disputes very quickly and have a handle on who is enforcing the rules correctly and who needs to be retrained.

I think NEXUS should not be at the border crossing for Point Roberts. I have seen the lineups down the hill and people actually turning around and going back to Canada because of the lengthy wait. Economically, the Point can’t afford to have this happening. Business is limited to one point of entry and if people don’t come then that is a problem for everyone. The agricultural rules are a touchy subject. I feel that if the item can’t be purchased on the Point then it should be allowed. 

On closing I would like to include the number of the Sumas border crossing. Sumas is the head border for this area not Blaine. They will respect anonymity at your request. Supervisor Wheeler. 360/988-2971
There is also a postage paid “comment” card available at all border offices. At Point Roberts they are located to the right when you enter the office. If you don’t write – it won’t change. Please do not publish my name as I am still in the process of grieving my case and am now hiring a lawyer.

This has to stop.

I live in England and visit Tsawwassen each year to see my son and family. My wife and I like to spend time at Point Roberts to walk the beach and enjoy the wildlife. 

Usually this has required us to obtain visa waivers at the border. On every occasion the American officers have been very helpful, courteous and friendly. Yes, friendly. We have never had a negative experience at this crossing.