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As new U.S. travel ban arrives, some Canadian dual nationals are worried
Christian Kodia is accustomed to visiting the United States on a weekly basis, but with a new travel ban coming into effect on Monday, he's not sure if that will continue.
Kodia is a dual national with citizenship from both Canada and the Republic of Congo, one of 12 states whose citizens U.S. President Donald Trump has now banned from entering that country.
"I travel to the United States of America, I would say, every weekend. I go to visit my family, I go for business, I go for friends," said Kodia, president of the Congolese-Brazzaville Community of Ottawa-Gatineau.
Even though Kodia has a Canadian passport, he's unsure of what kind of welcome to expect from U.S. customs.
"It's going to be difficult," he told Radio-Canada, predicting that the ban would have a "huge, negative impact" for many people.
Citing national security, Trump said Thursday his administration would block entry for citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Trump also announced restrictions to limit the entry of nationals of seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
In the case of the Republic of Congo, Trump cited high rates of overstaying among citizens visiting the United States: 29.6 per cent of those on temporary business or tourism visas, and 35 per cent of students and exchange visitors.
For other countries he cited links to terrorism, failure to accept deportees or a lack of central authority as justification for barring their citizens.
"If we had a government, a strong one, one that we elected, they [would] be able to deal with [Trump]," said Darlène Lozis, a Haitian community organizer in Gatineau, Que.
Lozis said with much of her home country controlled by armed gangs, she doesn't think Haiti's government will be able to advocate for the rights of its citizens.
"Whatever we do won't change anything. That man is a fool," she said, referring to Trump. "He will continue doing and saying whatever he wants."
Entering 'the lion's den'
Dual nationals like Kodia are now trying to establish whether they can still legally enter with their Canadian passports.
But Ottawa immigration lawyer Betsy Kane suggests that given the potential risks,"it's not even about what's legal."
Kane said she's asking her business clients whether it's worth risking the well-being of their staff by sending them to the United States, especially if they are dual nationals from one of the banned countries.
"It's about putting yourself in the lion's den," said Kane, stressing that she's not a U.S. immigration specialist.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have wide discretion whether to admit travellers to the United States — even if they have a valid visa.
They also have the power to detain people for questioning and to search their electronic devices.
In April, Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory for the United States, warning Canadians to "expect scrutiny," which could include those devices. It also warned that Canadians denied entry could be detained while awaiting deportation.
In an interview with the Canadian Press on Friday, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said if a Canadian faced device searches, or detainment at the border, it was "an isolated event" and "not a pattern."
