As new U.S. travel ban arrives, some Canadian dual nationals are worried

Christian Kodia is accustomed to visiting the United States connected a play basis, but with a caller question prohibition coming into effect connected Monday, he's not definite if that will continue.

Kodia is simply a dual nationalist with citizenship from some Canada and the Republic of Congo, 1 of 12 states whose citizens U.S. President Donald Trump has present banned from entering that country.

"I question to the United States of America, I would say, each weekend. I spell to sojourn my family, I spell for business, I spell 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 benignant of invited to expect from U.S. customs. 

"It's going to beryllium difficult," helium told Radio-Canada, predicting that the prohibition would person a "huge, antagonistic impact" for galore people.

Citing nationalist security, Trump said Thursday his medication would artifact introduction for citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. 

Trump besides announced restrictions to bounds the introduction of nationals of 7 different countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

In the lawsuit of the Republic of Congo, Trump cited precocious rates of overstaying among citizens visiting the United States: 29.6 per cent of those connected impermanent concern oregon tourism visas, and 35 per cent of students and speech visitors.

For different countries helium cited links to terrorism, nonaccomplishment to judge deportees oregon a deficiency of cardinal authorization arsenic justification for barring their citizens. 

"If we had a government, a beardown one, 1 that we elected, they [would] beryllium capable to woody with [Trump]," said Darlène Lozis, a Haitian assemblage organizer successful Gatineau, Que.

Lozis said with overmuch of her location country controlled by equipped gangs, she doesn't deliberation Haiti's authorities volition beryllium capable to advocator for the rights of its citizens.

"Whatever we bash won't alteration anything. That antheral is simply a fool," she said, referring to Trump. "He volition proceed doing and saying immoderate helium wants." 

Entering 'the lion's den'

Dual nationals similar Kodia are present trying to found whether they tin inactive legally participate with their Canadian passports. 

But Ottawa migration lawyer Betsy Kane suggests that fixed the imaginable risks,"it's not adjacent astir what's legal."

Kane said she's asking her concern clients whether it's worthy risking the well-being of their unit by sending them to the United States, particularly if they are dual nationals from 1 of the banned countries. 

"It's astir putting yourself successful the lion's den," said Kane, stressing that she's not a U.S. migration specialist.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents person wide discretion whether to admit travellers to the United States — adjacent if they person a valid visa.

They besides person the powerfulness to detain radical for questioning and to hunt their physics devices. 

In April, Global Affairs Canada updated its question advisory for the United States, informing Canadians to "expect scrutiny," which could see those devices. It besides warned that Canadians denied introduction could beryllium detained portion awaiting deportation.

In an interrogation with the Canadian Press connected Friday, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said if a Canadian faced instrumentality searches, oregon detainment astatine the border, it was "an isolated event" and "not a pattern."