Travelers crossing into Canada say they're alarmed by the appearance of extra security checkpoints on the section of border separating Washington state and British Columbia, with some complaining of invasive searches. Drivers leaving the US say they've had vehicles searched by US Border Patrol officers and sniffer dogs, sometimes resulting in lengthy delays. BC resident David Steinebach, who regularly visited Washington state to buy gas, tells Global News he's stopped his US visits entirely after his vehicle was subject to what he says was an invasive search near the Lynden–Aldergrove border crossing on April 10.
Steinebach, who was returning to Canada, says five to seven US officers searched his vehicle, even looking behind his open glove compartment. "I've never had that happen ever before," Steinebach says, adding there was no apparent reason for it. Many fear such encounters will further hurt US tourism. There's already been a big drop in Canadians traveling south following President Trump's tariffs and threats of making Canada into the 51st state. In April, the number of vehicles with BC license plates entering the US fell 51% compared with a year prior, per the CBC. And a recent poll of Canadians found 54% felt unwelcome in the US, while 52% believe it's no longer safe to travel south, per the National Post.
In a statement, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says it "routinely conducts inspections on outbound traffic" in order to apprehend "wanted individuals" and to seize "a variety of contraband." But Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based in the border city of Blaine, Washington, says these checkpoints usually appear in response to an Amber Alert or fugitive. "What's new is that they're doing them every single day, which I've never seen," he tells the CBC. According to Wired, CBP also plans to photograph people who leave the US by vehicle so as to match the photo to travel documents—something currently only done for those entering the US. (More US Canada border stories.)
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