Canadian travel to the U.S. has plummeted. One reason why: fear

Sophia Harris · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

When governmental subject prof Arash Abizadeh heard last period astir overseas travellers being detained astatine the U.S. border, helium cancelled plans to talk astatine an upcoming world league successful Durham, N.C.

He believes heightened scrutiny astatine the U.S. borderline makes question to the state excessively uncertain. 

"Why would we taxable ourselves to this?" asked Abizadeh, who teaches astatine McGill University successful Montreal. 

"We tin accidental to ourselves, 'Well, I haven't done thing wrong,' but past you person to inquire yourself questions similar … 'Have I said thing connected societal media that the existent authorities mightiness find captious of them?' "

Abizadeh joins a increasing fig of Canadians cancelling plans to sojourn the United States.

The fig of instrumentality trips among Canadians travelling to the U.S. successful February plummeted compared to the erstwhile year: down by 13 per cent for aerial travel, and a whopping 23 per cent for onshore travel. March data, which Statistics Canada volition merchandise aboriginal this morning, is expected to amusement a further decline.

One crushed for the driblet successful question is choler implicit U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized war. Another crushed gaining ground: interest implicit beefed up borderline information pursuing Trump's pledge to ace down connected immigration. 

Recent reports of foreigners being detained for longer than a week, including 2 German tourists, a backpacker from Wales and Canadian Jasmine Mooney, person created a chill among galore Canadians who utilized to question to the U.S. without hesitation. 

Mooney was detained for 11 days past period aft she tried to participate the U.S., and her enactment visa exertion was denied astatine the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I got enactment into existent jail. So it's conscionable similar the movies, 2 levels, cells connected each side," she said successful an interrogation with CBC News past week. "I didn't permission my compartment for, I think, 24 hours, to beryllium honest. I was truthful distraught."

WATCH | Canadian pistillate describes 11 days detained successful the U.S.: 

U.S. migration lawyer, Len Saunders, counselled Mooney astir her case. He says that, successful erstwhile administrations, erstwhile travellers' visa applications didn't conscionable the bar, they would typically beryllium sent backmost to their location country. 

"You would ne'er person seen them successful custody, particularly much than possibly a day," said Saunders, whose bureau successful Blaine, Wash., is adjacent to the Canadian border.

"There seems to beryllium perfectly nary discretion," helium said. "It's astir similar the pendulum has gone 180 degrees from debased enforcement to conscionable maximum enforcement."

When asked astir the caller detainments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) replied successful an email that the Trump medication is cracking down connected radical who effort to participate the U.S. nether fraudulent pretenses oregon with malicious intent.

"Lawful travellers person thing to fearfulness from these measures, which are designed to support our nation's security," wrote Hilton Beckham, CBP's adjunct commissioner.

Concerns from those captious of Trump

Despite CBP's message, Jennifer Love, a chemistry prof astatine the University of Calgary, has cancelled plans to talk astatine an upcoming league successful Honolulu.

Love has dual citizenship successful Canada and the United States. Even so, she worries astir imaginable troubles astatine the border, due to the fact that she's openly captious of the Trump medication connected societal media, and a proponent of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). 

Trump is cracking down connected DEI initiatives, calling them "illegal and immoral favoritism programs." In January, helium directed that each national DEI unit beryllium enactment connected paid permission and eventually laid off.

"I don't privation to elevate my peculiar status, but having a prof detained who is truly supportive of [DEI] issues and has been precise captious of the administration, they could usage that arsenic a connection to different people," said Love.

"It wouldn't astonishment maine if there's immoderate illustration connected maine astatine this point."

Iranian-Canadians 'feel unwelcome' successful U.S.

There are besides concerns successful the Iranian Canadian assemblage implicit question to the U.S. 

The Trump administration, which has strained relations with Iran, has projected a question prohibition connected citizens from the country.

Toronto-based Atlas Travel, which serves Canada's Iranian community, utilized to publication respective flights a week to Los Angeles — location to the largest Iranian assemblage extracurricular of Iran.

But manager Azin Mohager says astir clients nary longer privation to question to the U.S., fearful they'll beryllium targeted astatine the border. 

"They consciousness unwelcome."

She says that feeling is warranted, arsenic she's heard from respective clients who were precocious interrogated by U.S. borderline officials.

"In immoderate cases they person adjacent asked them to unfastened up their telephone and they log into their societal media," said Mohager. "Just due to the fact that [of] your sanction oregon conscionable due to the fact that of the spot of your birth, you person to spell done this."

Abizadeh, the McGill professor, is an Iranian Canadian. But helium says it's hard to foretell wherefore he or immoderate different Canadian crossing the borderline could beryllium targeted. 

"We conscionable don't know," helium said. "It's not transparent."

Abizadeh noted that even speaking with CBC News for this communicative could marque him a target. 

"If I was reasoning of going to the U.S., would I beryllium giving this interview? Absolutely not."

Last week, the national authorities softly updated its online question proposal to the U.S. Under the heading "entry and exit requirements," Ottawa present reminds travellers to "expect scrutiny" astatine the U.S. border, including smartphone searches.

It besides states that those denied introduction could beryllium temporarily detained.