A Personal Journey Through North America's Border: The idea of borders between two countries is a construct to distinguish the social, cultural, and economic boundaries between two or multiple countries. Unfortunately, this construct has been used to fuel harsh border policies and the narrative that people are trying to take advantage of our resources most especially the U.S.A.
The proposed legislation by the Biden administration, which was open for comments till Monday March 27th, 2021, aims to deter asylum seekers from coming to the US by creating obstacles for them to gain access to the asylum system. This approach is inhumane and ignores the fact that many asylum seekers have fled their home countries due to persecution and violence.
My own experiences traveling through the North American triangle have shown me that the US border system needs complete dismantling and rethinking. The current system is flawed and perpetuates a narrative of us versus them, rather than recognizing the humanity and dignity of those seeking asylum.
As a refugee in the United States, I have been thinking a lot about the construct of borders and the harsh realities of border policing. I want to reflect on my personal experiences traveling between the three borders of North America in 2018 under Republican President Donald Trump and in 2023 under Democratic President Joe Biden. What has changed and what hasn’t?
In 2018, I left the United States for Canada without a green card, so I had to apply for a Canadian visa. When I arrived at the border in Toronto, I was welcomed with no hassle. But on my return to the U.S. with a passport issued by the United States, I was detained in Toronto airport because I had to pass U.S. border patrol there. I did manage to enter the U.S., but I was detained for a while, and it left a mark on me.
In November 2018, I traveled to Mexico with my Canadian visa, and it was a smooth entry with a U.S.-issued travel document. But on my return to JFK airport, I was detained for three hours. All I did was leave the U.S. with a document issued by the U.S. government, and my return was a punishment for doing so.
I thought maybe things would change when I got my green card. In 2023, I decided to take a North American trip again, this time without needing a visa to any of the countries. Leaving the U.S. in February for Mexico, there was no hassle, but on my return, I was detained at Newark, but it was for a less amount of time, maybe 15 minutes.
My second leg of the trip was to Toronto, Canada. This time, I got my first roadblock before I even left the U.S. My travel document issued by the U.S. was not machine-readable by the state, the same one I used in traveling to Mexico with an entrance stamp by a U.S. border agent in Newark. After a few checks and balances, I was allowed to board the plane. When I arrived in Toronto, I was shocked to not encounter a single border patrol agent from the time I deplaned to when I received my bag.
On my return from Toronto, the U.S. immigration agents detained me for 45 minutes, even though the Canadian border had welcomed me without any restrictions. This speaks volumes about our border structure. What has changed in the five years under two presidents from two different parties? Nothing has changed. The U.S. immigration and border patrol agents still heavily police our borders. But on the Canadian border, everything has changed. The lack of physical bodies to obstruct and manhandle people shows their sensibility to changing the way people access borders. On the flip side, one thing remains constant. Mexico is still heavily influenced by the power dynamics of the U.S. and Canadian governments.
The policing of the U.S. border has left a scar on me. It continues to further the narrative that we have something that others want so badly that we must harass even those who have gone through the legal ways of accessing our borders. The reason why I share this story is to remind you and others that electing a democratic government does not mean everything has changed. It’s a false dichotomy and a lie we are uniquely comfortable telling ourselves. The United States needs to dismantle our current border system to allow for a rethinking of how we welcome people to our borders, especially those who have earned the right to do so.
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