INCREASED SCRUTINY FROM US BORDER OFFICERS
The Canadian government updated its US travel advisory on its website in March to say that those who plan to visit the US for more than 30 days “must be registered with the United States government”, NPR reported.
Those who did not do so could face “penalties fines, and misdemeanour prosecution”, the Canadian government said.
In early April, it updated its advisory again, adding a new paragraph about scrutiny at points of entry into the US, Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported.
This was done “quietly”, CBC said.
Part of the new paragraph reads: “Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices. Comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities. If you are denied entry, you could be detained while awaiting deportation.”
CBC noted that US border agents had long had the power to ask to search travellers’ belongings and demand access to their electronic devices.
However, it reported that security had been stepped up at the US-Canada border, citing an immigration lawyer.
“There’s been much more heightened security and heightened investigations at the border,” the lawyer told the broadcaster.
CHALLENGES FOR SOME LGBTQ TRAVELLERS
In March, several European countries including Denmark, Finland, France and Germany suggested that transgender, non-binary and intersex people may face difficulties when trying to enter the US.
The Danish foreign ministry changed its US travel advisory to say that transgender people should contact the US embassy in the Nordic country before travelling to the United States.
“When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: Male or female,” the travel advisory stated on Mar 21.
“If you have the gender designation X in your passport, or you have changed your gender, it is recommended that you contact the US embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed,” the ministry added.
The “X” gender marker is preferred by many non-binary people, who do not identify as strictly male or female.
While the travel advisory did not explicitly mention the Trump administration, it came only weeks after Trump signed an executive order calling for the US federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents, such as passports, and in policies.
The US State Department has stopped issuing travel documents with the X gender marker.
The department also stopped allowing people to change the gender listed on their passports or get new ones that reflect their gender rather than their sex assigned at birth.
Finland also advised prospective US travellers on its foreign ministry homepage that if their “current gender as recorded in their passport differs from the gender they were assigned at birth, US authorities may deny (them) entry”.
“It is recommended that you check with US authorities in advance for entry requirements,” the ministry said.
France, meanwhile, modified its official advice to its nationals who are travelling to the United States, warning they must now state their gender assigned at birth in visa or ESTA applications.
In advice similar to that issued by Denmark, Germany told travellers who have the X gender entry in their passport or whose current gender entry differs from their gender entry at birth to contact a US diplomatic mission in Germany before they enter the country.
This is so that they can “find out the applicable entry requirements” for the US, the German foreign ministry said.
