Harv's Corner 04/28/2025

Harv's Corner

Regard​ing Immigration;
While standard reasons for being denied entry or detained still apply (such as criminal records, past immigration violations like overstaying, misrepresentation, or lack of sufficient funds), the recent reports focus on detentions perceived as arising from heightened scrutiny, policy changes, or unclear causes, contributing significantly to Canadian traveler apprehension

Canadians booking far fewer U.S. visits
Trump’s bluster, border arrests have taken a toll.
By ROB GILLIES and JIM MORRIS The Associated Press​

VANCOUVER - Diana and Rick Bellamy initially planned to take a Caribbean cruise out of Houston before heading to Laurel, Miss., to visit the home of one of their favorite HGTV shows, "Home Town."

The Calgary, Alberta, couple scrapped those plans and vacationed last month along Mexico's Pacific coast instead, put off by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada, the insults he's hurled at their homeland, and stories about American border agents searching people's phones and detaining foreigners for minor reasons.
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Diane Bellamy found it ironic that she felt more comfortable traveling to Mexico than the U.S.

"I never thought I would hear myself say that," she said.

Trump's attacks on Canada's economy and threats to make it the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, who are canceling trips to the U.S. in large numbers.

They also seem to have also flipped the narrative heading into Canada's parliamentary elections on Monday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party surging after trailing far behind in the polls just a few months ago.

The U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said the 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.5 billion in spending.

But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception.

There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S. last month than in March 2024 — more than a 22% drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. An Air Canada spokesman, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10%.

Since Trump started his second term, there have been well-publicized reports of tourists being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense.

On March 3, Canadian Jasmine Mooney, an actor and entrepreneur on a U.S. work visa, was detained by U.S. border agents in San Diego. She was released after 12 days detention.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers, which represents university faculty and staff, warned its members against nonessential U.S. travel.

McKenzie McMillan, a consultant with a Vancouver travel agency The Travel Group, said its bookings to the U.S. have dried up. "We have seen a neartotal collapse of U.S. business," he said. "Probably about a 90% drop since February."

Lesley Keyter, the CEO and founder of the Travel Lady agency in Calgary, said she's seen people actually forfeit money to cancel their U.S. trips.

"Even if they're going on a Caribbean cruise, they don't want to go down to Fort Lauderdale to get on the cruise ship," she said.