8 ms·

My buddy wasn't allowed into Canada for an intl transfer because he had a DUI a decade earlier... Not surprised heh.

by grubbs 5y ago

chillwaves 5y ago
I wonder how they get access to this information. It didn't even seem like the US govt is coordinated enough between the different states to reliably catch this.
- MattGaiser 5y ago
  Is that an output problem or an input problem? It may be that the states are terrible at gathering information rather than reporting it.
  - VWWHFSfQ 5y ago
    There isn't a great system for inter-state reporting in the USA. That may be good, or bad.. But states operate largely independently.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  They ask you. If you lie about it they will likely ban you for even longer.
  - tshaddox 5y ago
    Do they ask you if you lied immediately after the first question?
    - chrisseaton 5y ago
      You’re being snarky, but the reason they just ask you is so that if you’re caught lying they can deport you for the lie, rather than having to try to deport you for whatever you did.
  - jjulius 5y ago
    I responded to the initial comment in this particular thread with my own anecdotal experience[0]. At no point were we asked about anything related to his fake ID charge, prior convictions, etc. They simply ID'd us, asked us where we were heading and why, then told us to pull aside. They knew already. [0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28465851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28465851
    - inter_netuser 5y ago
      Has he been fingerprinted during the fake ID incident? Fingerprint records will come up at the border.
      - zekrioca 5y ago
        From original comment: > he had been busted for using a fake ID at a bar to buy booze when he was a minor.
mbg721 5y ago
The Canadian customs/border authority is somewhat famously strict about DUI convictions. IIRC, George W. Bush had to be granted a special waiver.
- klipt 5y ago
  Conversely, any Canadian who admits to smoking pot (now legal in Canada) will be barred from entering the US for life.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - elevaet 5y ago
    This happened to a friend of mine. However he was eventually able to reverse the situation through a cumbersome legal process.
  - DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
    > any Canadian who admits to smoking pot (now legal in Canada) Also completely legal, for recreational use, in 6 of the 10 US states that border Canada, and legal for medicinal use in 9 of the 10 states, Idaho being the only hold-out. This is getting pretty silly now, no?
    - mbg721 5y ago
      People seem to forget that at a federal level, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug and is illegal to possess; if the feds decided suddenly to remember that, all hell could break loose at any moment. The guys guarding the border don't get their paychecks from Madison or St. Paul or Olympia or Albany, they get them from Washington, DC.
      - derefr 5y ago
        That doesn't quite justify it. Even Schedule I drugs are still legal to possess with a proper prescription from a doctor. There's prescription methamphetamine (Desoxyn), for example. As such, would the US object if I took THC under prescription in an in-patient medical context in another country, and then attempted to enter? And if they wouldn't object, then why would they suddenly object if I didn't get prescribed the THC, but rather purchased it over the counter, under advisement of a doctor? (After all, this is how most legal, OTC medications work. Doctors in outpatient settings don't prescribe you e.g. aspirin; they just tell you to "take two aspirin and call me if it doesn't feel better." They assume you can get your own aspirin without their help.)
jjulius 5y ago
My (at the time, future) brother-in-law caused us to be held up at the border in Blaine, WA heading into Canada about 10 years ago. A few years prior to that, he had been busted for using a fake ID at a bar to buy booze when he was a minor. Canadian customs were apparently aware of this, and after about an hour of waiting, the border agent said - and this is verbatim - "I'm trying to see if there's a reason this won't let us allow him in, but I'm not finding anything yet." Our vehicle was searched during that time as well, and about 30 minutes later they finally let all of us enter. Nice to hear we aren't the only folk who have dealt with a similar issue.
- chillwaves 5y ago
  I just went to Canada on Saturday. First time. I was interrogated for 3 hours. Apparently it looks bad if you travel 12 hours to cross the border to go on a date.
  - MiddleEndian 5y ago
    Ahhh, the ol' "I have a girlfriend, she lives in Canada!" gambit!
- gruez 5y ago
  >and this is verbatim - "I'm trying to see if there's a reason this won't let us allow him in, but I'm not finding anything yet." This is very confusingly worded. Was the border agent trying to let your brother in law in or not?
  - IncRnd 5y ago
    It seems very clearly worded. They agent was attempting to determine if the action would restrict entry (not let us allow him him), but it was still be investigated (I'm not finding anything yet).
    - jjulius 5y ago
      Correct. It seemed that the agent thought that that issue was grounds to prevent entry but wasn't positive, and was doing their due diligence to confirm as much.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
13of40 5y ago
I know a guy who had two DUI arrests, but still has no trouble getting into BC. His trick was to get a lawyer to argue them down to reckless driving convictions. Proof that single digit millionaires actually do have access to the legal system I suppose.
- q1w2 5y ago
  The standard court appointed lawyer will do this too - but you often have to push them to fight for you. ...and some paid lawyers suck and will roll-over. Price of your lawyer is a poor predictor of results in the legal system. The best advice is to know a good lawyer before you need one - rich or poor.

My buddy wasn't allowed into Canada for an intl transfer because he had a DUI a decade earlier... Not surprised heh.

by grubbs 5y ago

My buddy wasn't allowed into Canada for an intl transfer because he had a DUI a decade earlier... Not surprised heh.

I wonder how they get access to this information. It didn't even seem like the US govt is coordinated enough between the different states to reliably catch this.

MattGaiser 5y ago
Is that an output problem or an input problem? It may be that the states are terrible at gathering information rather than reporting it.
- VWWHFSfQ 5y ago
  There isn't a great system for inter-state reporting in the USA. That may be good, or bad.. But states operate largely independently.
chrisseaton 5y ago
They ask you. If you lie about it they will likely ban you for even longer.
- tshaddox 5y ago
  Do they ask you if you lied immediately after the first question?
  - chrisseaton 5y ago
    You’re being snarky, but the reason they just ask you is so that if you’re caught lying they can deport you for the lie, rather than having to try to deport you for whatever you did.
- jjulius 5y ago
  I responded to the initial comment in this particular thread with my own anecdotal experience[0]. At no point were we asked about anything related to his fake ID charge, prior convictions, etc. They simply ID'd us, asked us where we were heading and why, then told us to pull aside. They knew already. [0]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28465851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28465851
  - inter_netuser 5y ago
    Has he been fingerprinted during the fake ID incident? Fingerprint records will come up at the border.
    - zekrioca 5y ago
      From original comment: > he had been busted for using a fake ID at a bar to buy booze when he was a minor.

mbg721 5y ago

The Canadian customs/border authority is somewhat famously strict about DUI convictions. IIRC, George W. Bush had to be granted a special waiver.

klipt 5y ago
Conversely, any Canadian who admits to smoking pot (now legal in Canada) will be barred from entering the US for life.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- elevaet 5y ago
  This happened to a friend of mine. However he was eventually able to reverse the situation through a cumbersome legal process.
- DaiPlusPlus 5y ago
  > any Canadian who admits to smoking pot (now legal in Canada) Also completely legal, for recreational use, in 6 of the 10 US states that border Canada, and legal for medicinal use in 9 of the 10 states, Idaho being the only hold-out. This is getting pretty silly now, no?
  - mbg721 5y ago
    People seem to forget that at a federal level, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug and is illegal to possess; if the feds decided suddenly to remember that, all hell could break loose at any moment. The guys guarding the border don't get their paychecks from Madison or St. Paul or Olympia or Albany, they get them from Washington, DC.
    - derefr 5y ago
      That doesn't quite justify it. Even Schedule I drugs are still legal to possess with a proper prescription from a doctor. There's prescription methamphetamine (Desoxyn), for example. As such, would the US object if I took THC under prescription in an in-patient medical context in another country, and then attempted to enter? And if they wouldn't object, then why would they suddenly object if I didn't get prescribed the THC, but rather purchased it over the counter, under advisement of a doctor? (After all, this is how most legal, OTC medications work. Doctors in outpatient settings don't prescribe you e.g. aspirin; they just tell you to "take two aspirin and call me if it doesn't feel better." They assume you can get your own aspirin without their help.)

jjulius 5y ago

My (at the time, future) brother-in-law caused us to be held up at the border in Blaine, WA heading into Canada about 10 years ago. A few years prior to that, he had been busted for using a fake ID at a bar to buy booze when he was a minor. Canadian customs were apparently aware of this, and after about an hour of waiting, the border agent said - and this is verbatim - "I'm trying to see if there's a reason this won't let us allow him in, but I'm not finding anything yet." Our vehicle was searched during that time as well, and about 30 minutes later they finally let all of us enter. Nice to hear we aren't the only folk who have dealt with a similar issue.

chillwaves 5y ago
I just went to Canada on Saturday. First time. I was interrogated for 3 hours. Apparently it looks bad if you travel 12 hours to cross the border to go on a date.
- MiddleEndian 5y ago
  Ahhh, the ol' "I have a girlfriend, she lives in Canada!" gambit!
gruez 5y ago
>and this is verbatim - "I'm trying to see if there's a reason this won't let us allow him in, but I'm not finding anything yet." This is very confusingly worded. Was the border agent trying to let your brother in law in or not?
- IncRnd 5y ago
  It seems very clearly worded. They agent was attempting to determine if the action would restrict entry (not let us allow him him), but it was still be investigated (I'm not finding anything yet).
  - jjulius 5y ago
    Correct. It seemed that the agent thought that that issue was grounds to prevent entry but wasn't positive, and was doing their due diligence to confirm as much.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

13of40 5y ago

I know a guy who had two DUI arrests, but still has no trouble getting into BC. His trick was to get a lawyer to argue them down to reckless driving convictions. Proof that single digit millionaires actually do have access to the legal system I suppose.

q1w2 5y ago
The standard court appointed lawyer will do this too - but you often have to push them to fight for you. ...and some paid lawyers suck and will roll-over. Price of your lawyer is a poor predictor of results in the legal system. The best advice is to know a good lawyer before you need one - rich or poor.