New rules for Canadians traveling to the U.S. for longer than 30 days are now in effect. Canadian trips to the U.S. began to decline after the first tariffs were announced, and then over President Donald Trump’s continued rhetoric about Canadian sovereignty.
New data from Statistics Canada show that Canadians made 600,000 fewer return road trips to the U.S. in March than a year ago.
That’s a drop of about 32 percent, and by air it’s more than 13 percent.
The reasons for the decline are piling up and making Canadian travelers angry, especially over President Trump's actions.
“As a Canadian, I’m truly offended. I’m absolutely offended. We just came back from Florida about two weeks ago,” an anonymous Canadian traveler said. His wife expanded on their shared concerns, “We had it all booked and paid for. So, we went, but we won’t be going again. No, we won’t be going for many years, if ever again.”
Many are upset with the new requirements that Canadians driving into the U.S. who want to stay longer than 30 days must register with the Department of Homeland Security.
Dayle Johnson is a Canadian snowbird who has been wintering in Arizona for decades. He said his snowbird tendencies are in jeopardy due to ongoing changes in travel polices.
“The dollar is a big factor. But the unknown is another factor. It’s hard to keep up with what is really happening and what hoops Canadians may have to jump through to continue enjoying the snowbird life,” Johnson said.
Now reports of tourists, including Canadians, being detained at U.S. borders have resulted in more fear and anxiety for travelers. A German tourist was held for 16 days in an immigration detention center for violating his 90-day US tourist permit, a backpacker from Wales spent nearly three weeks in a detention center, and a Canadian woman on a work visa was held at the Tijuana border for 12 days.
Some advocates say they’ve never seen travelers from Western Europe and Canada locked up like this. Those detained are calling it a blatant abuse of power by U.S. border authorities.
Another factor in that power is the ability of U.S. border security officers examining people’s electronic devices at the point of entry to see if they include any social media posts that are disparaging of the U.S. government.
“There’s no longer a free ride into the United States. Not when President Trump is playing the tariff game,” said Richard Kurland, a Canadian immigration lawyer
“If you are carrying communication that confirms your specific point of view in your cell, in your computer, in social media, you are fair game for the American customs and immigration officers. If there is support, in any way, for a terrorist group, as defined by the Americans, found in your laptop or your cell phone, you’re out, and you may be out permanently,” Kurland said.
Kurland suggests Canadians leave their computers behind and even bring a burner phone with them, and answer questions from border guards directly and honestly.
The issue has many Canadians considering a trip south to reconsider.
“It’s concerning to travel across the border. I believe in supporting Canada, and that’s what we intend to do,” said a Canadian traveler. Another said, “It just makes me feel very unsafe, so if I could stay within Canada, that’s where I will definitely stay.”
There is also a flip side. There are reports that fewer Americans are taking road trips north. Many of them fear that, because of Trump’s policies, they might not be so well received by Canadians. One of those who did come north recently is Brad Ack, a resident of Virginia.
“You have every right to be angry. We’re angry too, by the way. I know that Canadians are extremely generous and polite. But I feel very ashamed of what my country's doing at the moment,” Ack said.
