Border Experience

I am a German national and have been a resident of Canada for 12 years.

I am also a believer in Democracy.

As such, I pay close attention to political developments—not only in my country of origin and my country of residence, but also around the world. I am particularly focused on developments that affect the political and civic health of a society, whether positively or negatively.

In this spirit I follow the political situation in the United States very closely. After all, the U.S. is (or perhaps I should say was) the oldest democracy in the world. For a long time, it has played a major role in promoting and protecting democracy in Europe and beyond.

Of course, I also acknowledge that the United States have taken wrong turns at times.

Anyway, the political situation in the United States right now clearly is a cause for concern.

That is why I decided to cross the border and take part in the Hands Off! protests on April 5, 2025.

The rally I planned to attend was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. The drive from my home typically takes about two hours.

I left shortly after 8:00 a.m., thinking this would give me plenty of time to deal with border wait times, parking, and so on.

I was pleased to find there was no traffic at the border.

However, since I hadn’t visited the U.S. in some time, I needed a new I-94 form. Normally, this process involves entering the office, answering a few questions from an officer, paying a fee, and continuing on my way. It’s a familiar and typically brief procedure

But this time was different.

The officer asked me—as usual—where I was going. In the past, I’ve truthfully answered with something like shopping, visiting friends, or meeting business partners.

I was not afraid of consequences and I wanted to be honest, so I told him where I was headed.

I also thought: these officers are people, and voters too. Even if I don’t know how many conversations they have over the day and how many of those they are personally interested in, I felt it couldn’t hurt for them to hear what’s happening.

But then the officer started asking more detailed questions—about the nature of the rally, what exactly I was protesting, whom I was planning to meet, who organized the event, and so on.

I answered his questions. For example, I directed him to the official HandsOff2025.com website which held information about locations, organizers, etc. And I told him, that the original plan was to also meet some like-minded people.

But I soon felt the line of questioning was going too far. I began to choose my words more carefully, unsure of the purpose behind these inquiries.

At one point, I asked why he needed to know all of this.

He told me that he needed the information to decide whether or not he could allow me to enter the country.

The officer typed something into his computer. I don’t know exactly what he was writing.

He mentioned that his handwriting was bad, which is why he typed everything directly into the system.

I asked if my answers would be stored and appear the next time I visit the U.S.

The officer assured me that the information was only used to make a decision for that day.

He then asked me to sit down while he processed the information.

I did.

I noticed that he spoke to other officers and disappeared into a back office before returning.

I waited for about 20 to 30 minutes before he called me back and asked more questions.

He inquired about my last trip to the U.S., which happened to be in October 2024, when I volunteered with the Harris campaign in Harrisburg, PA.

I told him about that truthfully.

I also explained that I only participated in activities permitted for a foreign national without legal residency, and that I had researched the rules in advance.

He acknowledged this but mentioned that immigration regulations can differ from those governing political campaigns.

Then I was sent back to wait again.

When he called me again, he asked who I planned to meet and requested contact details like phone numbers and email addresses. I refused to give them, as I did not have permission to share that information.

He sent me back to wait once more.

After another half hour or so, a different officer—a woman not in uniform—approached me with more questions, repeating much of what had already been asked.

Before answering, I asked who she was and why she was questioning me instead of the first officer. She gave me her name but did not provide any meaningful explanation. At one point, she said she was personally interested in what I had to say.

I was sent back to wait again.

During all of these waiting periods, I noticed that every other traveller passed through the process in just a few minutes. I was the only one delayed for such an extended time.

After a total of about two and a half hours, I signalled to the first officer and told him I wouldn’t make it to the rally on time and was ready to return to Canada.

He then informed me that a decision had just been made to issue my I-94 form. I was free to either enter the United States or return to Canada—whichever I preferred.

I continued on to the Hands Off! rally, arriving about an hour late. Still, I was able to experience the atmosphere, hear some of the speeches, and take part.

It is important for me to mention that, throughout the entire process, the officers treated me with respect, and all conversations remained polite and civil.