Canadian citizen detained at U.S. border crossing, questioned about voting for hours
'Tip of the iceberg':
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citizen → detain → iceberg
One lawyer warns more Canadians could be detained over illegal voting concerns
Paige Adamson was on her way home from a birthday dinner in Tsawwassen, B.C., on Sept. 15 when she was stopped at the Point Roberts border crossing.
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she → warn → crossing
It was a regular stop that Adamson — a Canadian citizen who has lived in Point Roberts, Wash., as a U.S. permanent resident for 14 years — had grown used to.
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who → live → years
But this time, they had a new question for her.
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they → have → her
"The very first thing she asked was, 'Have you ever voted in a federal U.S. election?'" said Adamson.
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Adamson → ask → election
Adamson, 61, said she told the border agent she had never voted in a federal election.
"
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she → say → election
They immediately said, 'Park over here and come into the office.'
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They → say → office
"
What happened next, Adamson said, was a nearly six-hour-long process — where she went through secondary inspection just after 9 p.m., was interrogated until after 2 a.m. and signed documents before being admitted into the U.S.
One of the documents CBC News reviewed said Adamson "must surrender for removal from the United States, if so ordered."
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Adamson → happen → States
Lawyers who spoke with CBC News said U.S. voter registration systems can sometimes catch non-citizens up in errors, and one of them says he has seen an uptick in non-citizens being questioned in the last week.
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citizens → speak → week
According to documents provided by Adamson, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alleges she falsely claimed she was a U.S. citizen "for the purposes of registering to vote in Whatcom County, Washington state."
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she → accord → County
The department also alleges Adamson voted in Washington state's 2018 general election.
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Adamson → allege → election
DHS cites those allegations as grounds for removing Adamson from the U.S.
But Adamson maintained during questioning, a transcript reviewed by CBC News showed, that she has never voted in a federal election and doesn't remember ever voting in a state election — though she acknowledged receiving a ballot and may have been registered.
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she → cite → ballot
Adamson is now scheduled to appear for a hearing in Seattle, and is grappling with potentially being removed from the state she has lived in since 2012.
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she → schedule → 2012
"My anxiety is over the top," she said.
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she → say → top
A broader trend
In the past week and a half, immigration lawyer Len Saunders said he has received calls from three people — including Adamson — about being detained at the border and questioned about voting.
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he → say → voting
One, he said, was a Blaine, Wash., resident who crosses the border daily to work as a nurse in B.C.
Saunders said three near-identical situations like this in such a short period is unprecedented in his career that stretches back more than 25 years.
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that → say → years
The Blaine-based lawyer told CBC News there could be hundreds of Canadians facing similar issues, and expects more cases as Canadians cross the border during the holidays.
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Canadians → base → holidays
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
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he → say → iceberg
B.C. immigration lawyer Chris Anders said border enforcement is "way, way stricter and tougher" than at any point in the last two decades.
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enforcement → say → decades
He said the databases used by border officials are constantly expanding, meaning something that did not cause problems for someone previously could suddenly pop up during a new entry.
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that → say → entry
Washington state automatically registers some eligible voters when they get or renew a driver's licence or state ID, but the state says the system is tied to proof of U.S. citizenship.
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system → register → citizenship
But internal Washington Department of Licensing emails, obtained by the non-profit Federation for American Immigration Reform through a Freedom of Information request, show instances where non-citizens were registered to vote.
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citizens → obtain → instances
"A lot of Canadians say, 'Well, I thought I was entitled to [vote] because I went in, got my driver's licence and they registered me to vote,'" said Saunders.
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Saunders → say → me
Change in Canada's citizenship law hitting U.S. archives
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Change → hit → archives
- CBC Investigates
Winnipeg-born man deported back to Canada after 9 months in ICE detention
Saunders said that in those situations, he has told clients to immediately deregister and submit a declaration saying they "unknowingly registered or unknowingly voted," and that used to be a consistent solution.
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that → bear → declaration
"Now, it seems to be a completely different scenario during this current administration."
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it → seem → administration
In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said when a permanent resident arrives at a port of entry, officers screen their documentation against federal and state databases.
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officers → say → databases
The CBP says if those records indicate "potential unlawful voter registration, illegal voting, or a previous false claim to U.S. citizenship," the individual is subject to "rigorous examination and detailed questioning.
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individual → say → examination
"
Depending on the case, an individual may face "prolonged" immigration inspections, receive a notice to appear and formal removal proceedings, the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → depend → notice
Adamson said she wasn't offered water until around the five-hour mark of her detainment, and no one asked whether she needed to use the bathroom.
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she → say → bathroom
"I was basically treated like a criminal," she said.
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she → treat → criminal
She said the large Canadian population in Point Roberts — an exclave of the U.S. located just south of Delta, B.C. — has left her concerned that some of her neighbours could face similar problems.
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some → say → problems
"This beautiful little place, it's kind of being invaded," she said.
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she → invade → ?
The Aporia
