US Border Agents Assaulted Woman entering the United States

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Sunain
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Location: Canada

US Border Agents Assaulted Woman entering the United States

Post by Sunain »

Kelowna woman warns others after terrifying ordeal at U.S. border
After a recent trip south of the border, a Kelowna business owner says she won’t be returning to the United States without her husband by her side.

Just a little over a week ago, Mary Ann Gill and a female friend were on a motorcycle trip to Elmo, Mont., from Radium Hot Springs, where they had travelled to the day before.

On May 14, they pulled up to the Roosville, Mont. border crossing. Gill, a 51-year-old mother, said she got off her Harley and started taking off her helmet when she got up to the window. This seemed to upset the officer, according to Gill, who said she should’ve waited for instructions.

Gill, who has no criminal record, was questioned on why she was travelling to Elmo by the officer, who told her it was, "Indian country."

Startled by the comment, Gill was told she'd have to go into secondary questioning. The officer refused to give her passport back until everything was OK with the next inspection.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an individual may be selected for further inspection if they have previously violated a U.S. law, they aren’t carrying proper documentation, their name matches a person of interest or a sex offender or if the traveller has been selected for a random inspection.

Gill said she was taken into a garage-type inspection building with three officers who searched her bike. Her friend wasn’t allowed in and told to get to the road. Officers looked through Gill’s wallet and saw that she had an interim driver’s license, which they said was legal, but suspicious.

Officers did not find anything illegal but said Gill would have to undergo a strip search.

“I said, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong, I don’t know why you would need to do that,’” said Gill, recounting the moment with tears welling up. “I got scared. I got really scared. I said, ‘Can you please call the police?’ and they said, ‘No, we’re not going to call the police.’

“They said that they have more power than the police, and the police have no jurisdiction now, and whatever they say goes.”

Gill refused to undress as three men, and no women were in the room, but no other options were given.

“It was startling and scary to see those doors go down and having that instant realization I’m trapped in a room with three men.”

None of the officers, one who insisted he was the supervisor, would give out their names.

“They took my clothes off, ” said Gill, her voice breaking with emotion, “…and did an internal cavity search of my body. And it was awful. It was really bad, and I just can’t understand.

“I just kept saying to them, ‘How could you do this to a woman? This is not right.”

Gill said she has tried to make a complaint to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and has spent a total of three hours trying to submit a report online. Three times, the report has been deleted.

“It’s almost like the site’s rigged so when you try and send something, it won’t even take it,” she said.

“Customs and Border Protection takes complaints very seriously,” wrote Givens, in an email. “If a traveller feels they have been mistreated or that the inspection was not conducted in a professional manner, they should ask to speak with a CBP supervisor immediately.”

“Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that CBP officers treat all persons with dignity and that they behave in a professional manner.”

Gill said she wants to warn other people about what happened to her, so they won’t have to experience it.

“Without a doubt, that’s happened to somebody else and it will continue,” said Gill. “They know they can do this and that they can get away with it.”

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend for girls to travel through that border.”

Gill said she had already rented a house in Hawaii for this holiday season and has been talking to RCMP about her safety in the U.S.

“If I hadn’t paid for it, I wouldn’t be going, and I wouldn’t be going to the states without my husband,” she said. “I would never cross without a male ever again.”

Givens said he could not comment on the specific case due to the Privacy Act.

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I fear for our mothers, daughters, wives, sisters these days as they can now be subjected to 'random' secondary screenings by border officers without any recourse or individual protection. The agents have way too much authority now.

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Durzan
The Lord's Trusty Maverick
Posts: 3728
Location: Standing between the Light and the Darkness.

Re: US Border Agents Assaulted Woman entering the United States

Post by Durzan »

Dang. This is so messed up... our borders are practically open on the south side. These thugs are using this power to abuse this person instead of using it to properly enforce the border! :-?

Ezra
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Location: Not telling

Re: US Border Agents Assaulted Woman entering the United States

Post by Ezra »

I have been to Canada quite a few times. When I first went pre 911. It was easy to get Into Canada. And a pain to get Into the states.

Post 911. Hard to get into Canada easy to get back into the states.

Many times they didn't even ask for any proof of citizenship. Just waved me through after seeing a Idaho license plate.

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