US Border Patrol Agents Stopping and Boarding Canadian Fishing Boats

[Norbert]

Source: The Hamilton Spectator

GRAND MANAN, N.B. — At least 10 Canadian fishing boats from New Brunswick have been intercepted by U.S. Border Patrol agents since last week while fishing in the disputed waters around Machias Seal Island, a spokesperson for the fishermen says.

Laurence Cook, chairman of the advisory board for Lobster Fishing Area 38, said Wednesday that some Canadian vessels were boarded by American agents who asked about possible illegal immigrants.

"There's been a bit of a misunderstanding there somewhere," Cook said in an interview. "They're in international waters, so border patrol shouldn't be boarding Canadian vessels."

Machias Seal Island, which is about 19 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan Island and east of Maine, is in a disputed area known as the Grey Zone, where lobster fishermen from both Canada and the United States have long fished side by side.

However, both Canada and the United States claim sovereign jurisdiction over the island and the surrounding waters at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.

...

Read more: https://www.thespec.com/news-story/8723281-u-s-border-patrol-agents-stopping-and-boarding-canadian-fishing-boats/

[Turbineguy]

1. Pretty soon they'll be trying to catch

escaping US Citizens

[blue-wave]

4. Sad but True

[RKP5637]

5. Getting more like a totalitarian country each day as the frog boils. n/t

[iluvtennis]

20. Indeed.

[SkyDaddy7]

2. Now we're acting like

CHINA!?!?!?🤬🤬🤬🤬

[Judi Lynn]

3. Truly sad. Thanks for the info. n/t

[George II]

6. The more I see stories like this the more nervous I am of driving up to Toronto to visit...

....family later this month.

Will I be able to get back over the border? Will I want to get back over the border?

[RandomAccess]

9. Are you the right color??

Do you have your "papers" (no matter what color you are)?

I'd post the sarcasm smilie, except I'm not being sarcastic. I'm afraid for my country.

[George II]

11. Assuming you mean Caucasian, yes, and I have an American passport. But from what I'm seeing....

....neither guarantee readmission to the US.

I return via the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, where they seem a little bit more pleasant. I guess the irony of the name of the bridge hasn't sunk in yet.

[RandomAccess]

12. Well, good luck.

I hope you understand I used that term from THEIR perspective, certainly not mine.

Again, good luck. Please let us know how it goes.

[George II]

14. Oh yes, I understand and didn't take it as an offense. Sad that I can cross the border and return..

....because I'm "privileged"!

BTW, if they don't let me back in, other than because of my wife and family down here, no big loss at this point in our history.

[RandomAccess]

15. Yes, I might even envy you

if they don't let you back in.

[progree]

23. Caucasian not good enough. Bad hombres and "housekeeping" and children in cages are Caucasians

as are Middle-easterners and south Asians ...

You need to be the "right kind" of Caucasian.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. "I return via the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls"

I was up there 4 years ago for vacation and came across that bridge. Real long line of cars for sure! It helped that I was still working for the federal government at the time and that speeded up the re-entry. Was glad to be able to use my EZ pass on the Canadian side too, which had literally just been implemented right before we went up there!!!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

36. Where have you read that U.S. passport doesn't get you back into U.S.?

That doesn't make any sense. U.S. citizen doesn't have any place to go other than back to the U.S..

[paleotn]

10. Funny you should mention that...

We're traveling to Halifax tomorrow. Other than who will take care of our fur babies, it really wouldn't break my heart if they didn't let us back in. Damn sucky thing to say. What a shit mess we find ourselves in.

[WePurrsevere]

32. I share your nervousness. :-( My Ontario Canadian bio family...

is talking about having a get together sometime in probably late August. We've been planning on my eldest daughter, her 4 children, my husband and I going up since it would be a rare chance to meet some of our more distant newly found family members (I'm a reunited adoptee) for the very first time. We live on a small farm and have too many animals that we can't leave unlooked after for too long so because of Trumpassiness my DH is now saying he may just stay home.

My daughter and her kids are really excited about going so she might push it even if there's a concern still and hope for the best. Her biggest concern would be the beginning of the school year. Her furkids would be fine with her SO.

This is all so damn upsetting to me. Canada is one of our best and closest allies. They're NOT our enemy and don't deserve to be treated so poorly. It's just horrible that Trump treats our allies like enemies and those who actually try to do us and our democracy harm are treated like they're our friggin BFFs.

[George II]

33. If you haven't been up to Canada in a while, be aware that you now need a passport.

[WePurrsevere]

35. Thanks! My daughter & I went in May...

We live in a border state (NY) and have what's called "an enhanced license". We were able to cross over and return easily that time but we don't assume it will always be that way with how things are going now.

[csziggy]

37. I'd go ahead and apply for a passport

We did back in April. They told us it would take six weeks - it only took two!

Check on locations where you can apply: https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

We first tried at a post office but they only did it by appointment. Our next try was at the tax collector's office - had a short line but got it done quickly.

The cost was more than we expected so be prepared for that. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/fees.html

[WePurrsevere]

38. I want to do that eventually but 'ATM' with a NYS's enhnaced license...

we don't need a passport just to go to Canada or return. The Enhanced License is good for 10 yrs and is a bit more expensive than a regular DL but cheaper than a passport (which is why we went that route for now).

[paleotn]

7. The RCN

needs to station a frigate in that stretch of international waters. Shitty thing to have to say that about my own country on the 4th of July.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

8. These agents are increasingly

over-stepping the boundaries of their authority and we should all be calling our elected officials about this "shock troop" behavior. A few weeks ago, they detained a jogger on a beach at Point Roberts (an island near BC) which has a border with the US. She was a French citizen, visiting her mother in Point Roberts, BC, Canada, when she accidentally crossed an invisible geo-political border. Agents accosted her (What were they doing on the beach in the first place ? Point R is hardly a flood gate for immigrants.), detained her, taking her to Tacoma (Hundreds of miles away.) for processing and held her for weeks. This caused an uproar all the way to Paris.

Exactly what is the chartered mandate of these people ? She hardly looked like a terrorist, jogging alone on the beach.

These people are out of control.

[erronis]

17. Hi, haggis: it's not clear what authority the thugs are operating under

It could be be federal rules, local BP rules, or just "boys" out for a bit of fun.

Of course the US gov't in its current guise is not transparent or forthcoming about these why's and wherefore's.

Can't wait until we get some decent gov't back in the US.

Now, many - including myself, will say the the Obama admin also overstepped its bounds. Perhaps something more endemic is going on.

[luvtheGWN]

18. You forgot one important point, Haggis:

She was a French citizen, but she just wasn't white enough.

Yes, those agents are out of control.

A Toronto young people's choir made up of Syrian immigrants didn't go to an international choir competition in Washington this month for fear that either they would be stopped at the border or else not allowed back into Canada. These are just KIDS! Now everyone is afraid, and I just heard about a survey conducted over the last week which indicated that the great majority of Canadians are boycotting US products, and "snowbirds" are having second thoughts about spending the winter in the U.S. Methinks Mexico is going to be the big beneficiary. Eat sh*t, Florida.

[Leghorn21]

22. Here's that choir of little darlings, luv:

“I can look in their faces and say 'You can't come'. I'll look them in the face.”
- Donald. Fucking. Trump. February 2016

[RKP5637]

28. Like who in their right mind would now vacation in America. It's a dangerous place and there are far

better places in the world to visit. The country is going to hell thanks to tRump and his henchmen.

[RandomAccess]

13. Not the first highly questionable episode --

Bus Driver Tells Passengers Only U.S. Citizens Can Ride As Border Patrol Agent Looks On
Source: Huffington Post 06/16/2018 07:32 pm ET https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142086046
Remember: You are not obligated to answer questions about your citizenship just to ride a bus.
By Sebastian Murdock

A bus driver in Maine told passengers they needed to be U.S. citizens to ride on a bus while an immigration official questioned passengers’ citizenship.

The incident happened in the city of Bangor over Memorial Day weekend, the ACLU of New Hampshire said in a video statement.

The footage shows passengers being confronted by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent.
“Are you folks U.S. citizens?” the CBP agent asks.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bus-driver-tells-passengers-only-us-citizens-can-ride-as-border-patrol-agent-looks-on_us_5b256034e4b0f9178a9d9621

[Mc Mike]

16. 55 40 or fight.

[Lucky Luciano]

21. 54 40! Also, the Aroostook War is a footnote to history on the east coast in northern Maine!

[Mc Mike]

34. Didn't know about Aroostook, just thought D Rump wanted an extra degree of latitude.

[turbinetree]

19. Waiting for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to reciprocate...................not good..........

[RKP5637]

27. Eventually, the rest of the world will put Trump back in line.

It will make the US an even worse place to be stuck. What many Americans don't seem to comprehend is this thing called the GOP today is a hostile invasion force. It is not granddaddies GOP. Yet many still walk in dumb ruts, fall for all of the BS, and vote republican and many love the tRump.

[ck4829]

25. Crazy

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. Well, if the Chinese navy can chase Philippine fishing ships ...

... from the South China Sea where China is building new islands, then why can't our MAGAdude do likewise. It takes a lot of lobsters to feed a country club.

[riversedge]

29. The last thing Canada wants is for Donald Trump to seize on this as an example of U.S. sovereignty b

Link to tweet

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2018/07/04/us-border-patrol-questions-crews-of-at-least-10-fishing-vessels-in-canadian-waters.html


................“Sometimes doing nothing is better,” he said. “But in this case, just because it looks like it’s not broken can be very deceiving — especially with our new president in the United States. The last thing Canada wants is for Donald Trump to seize on this as an example of U.S. sovereignty being challenged.”

The suggestion that the border agents were looking for illegal immigrants seems improbable, he said.

“That’s possible, but ... the Gulf of Maine is not a major route for illegal immigrants sneaking into the United States,” Kelly said. “If anything, people are sneaking the other way. They’re trying to get out of the U.S. and into Canada to claim asylum.”

He said drug smuggling is a more relevant concern.

On Grand Manan, local residents are speaking out about the U.S. intervention, said Cook.

“I guess the comment on the street would be: ‘Typical American bullies,’ ” he said. “They’re not happy about it, and they don’t think (the Americans) have any business doing this.”

Cook said he’s never before seen border patrol agents in the area, where the U.S. Coast Guard typically patrols. He said he had no idea why American authorities are suddenly flexing their muscles..............................

[heaven05]

30. really donnie boy, really.?

One of our allies and this puke POS called potus is doing this? If they were Russian, Filipino, n. Korean, they would be/are getting a pass.This presidency bodes ill for US. And have no doubt, the deplorable will sit in a WW2 type Dresden type conflagration and praise their supremacist leader as the skin melts off their children's starving bodies.

The non-deplorable? Tough shit. Wrong place at the wrong time, especially those pesky POC. they couldn't kill off with DWB, BWB, LWB All the hope I have is getting out the vote for a 'blue wave' this November. Yet that vote, since 2000, is not as assured as I feel it once was.

[Botany]

31. When does this nightmare stop?