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A Canadian woman was issued a lifetime ban from entering the U.S. after officials searched her unlocked smartphone, found an email to her doctor about a fentanyl overdose she survived, and asked her questions about her past drug use:
A British Columbia woman was issued a lifetime ban at the US border after officials found an email with her doctor about a fentanyl overdose she survived a year ago.
Chelsea, 28, whose last name is being withheld due to fears that it could affect future employment, answered a series of questions about drug use while attempting to cross the Washington-British Columbia border. She said her phone, which didn't have a password, was searched for about two hours. During questioning after her phone was searched, she admitted to using illegal drugs before, including cocaine.
At the US border, the searching of electronic devices, including smartphones, is allowed as part of inspection. Warrantless searches on phones are also allowed at the Canadian border—a practice defense lawyers are trying to end.
"It was super violating—I couldn't believe they went into my sent emails folder and found something from a year ago that was addressed to my doctor," Chelsea said. "It was really humiliating, and it felt terrible having to bring that up."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently released a one-page security assessment of the U.S.-Canadian border that identified drug smuggling (including cocaine and fentanyl) as well as "unidentified [Canadian] homegrown violent extremists" as security challenges:
The drugs that are commonly transported into Canada from the United States are cocaine and methamphetamine. Ecstasy, fentanyl and marijuana are smuggled into the U.S. from Canada.
[...] "This report identifies several areas where we can improve border security — especially in combating drug trafficking and preventing potential acts of terrorism," Katko, R-Camillus, said. "Stopping the influx of drugs coming into our country through the northern border is of particular concern, given the heroin and opioid epidemic plaguing central New York."
(Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday August 19 2017, @02:59PM (3 children)
Given the circumstances behind the agitprop are incredibly suspicious, I'd agree with you that a "she had it coming" is not the only possible strategy. She could, for example, be over the top stupid, told the agent she's trying to smuggle farm produce past the border AND she's a druggie, and the agitprop is only focusing on the drugs because drugs should be legal, and ignoring she's an idiot. But its more fun to contemplate she had it coming for reasons of her own volition rather than being born with a lack of brain power. Or there's other spins too, of course.
None the less I think my greatest contribution is identifying the agitprop as mere agitprop and WTFing about the strange glossed over details, and my theories about WHY the details are glossed over are weaker and fundamentally not required to make the main point of its not news but merely agitprop with some really weird semi-hidden back story.
Another weird part of the agitprop is normalizing the idea that our country should be a dumping ground for druggies. Why should we shit were we sleep? Seems a very strange concept to try and normalize. Lets say instead of a druggie chick it was a male child rapist. Keeping a child rapist out of the country would reduce the overall quality of the USA ... how exactly? I mean, what did we REALLY lose here by keeping her out? Or maybe the agitprop message is actions should not have consequences, again, I'm just not feeling it. Maybe the funniest part of the story is they kept her name secret because her drug history would make her unemployable, so its vitally important we import as many unemployable people into the USA as possible because... um... why is that a worthy goal again? I mean if this chick isn't good for anything but at absolute best becoming a lot lizard at a truck stop, why do we need to shame American immigration policy into letting people like her in? Is there a shortage of lot lizards I don't know about? I mean Canadian women are generally hotter than USA women, but still...
The more you think about it, the weirder the agitprop story sounds.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday August 20 2017, @11:02AM (2 children)
Second, we don't need to come up with this weird agitprop story to explain potential dishonesty on the part of the traveler. They'll have natural behavioral tendencies to exaggerate their side of the story. Similarly, this story is coming from a source (Vice.com) that tends to exaggerate such things as well. I suppose that's what agitprop is, but I don't think we need to get all mystical about it.
It remains that we have not established that this would-be visitor or immigrant would cause problems for the US. That remains a completely unfounded fantasy you've spun.
Finally, what's with the hate for druggies? There's a huge number of people who take such mind-altering drugs in the US, most who are hard working and productive, contrary to the stereotype. In addition to the relatively light weight drugs like caffeine and nicotine, we have alcohol, a variety of prescription anti-depressants and minor tranquilizers (like Xanax or Valium), and of course, the illegal recreational drugs. I believe you'll find that a very high percentage of the US population is a druggie of some sort, often by necessity to treat a medical condition. And yet we're at a pretty high level of employment these days.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday August 21 2017, @01:50PM (1 child)
Drugs are or are not good can't be resolved in the context of the story, but it does seem that if they're good then she's no problem and if drugs are not good then she's problematic.
There's a spectrum and there's not much worse than overdosing heroin addicts. There's worse, but not much. Hopefully the agents are also keeping the "even worse" out of the country.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday August 21 2017, @10:07PM