U.S. border rejects thousands of Canadians with criminal records
U.S. customs officials are downplaying recent complaints that they are getting tough with Canadians at the border.

Published: Sunday, August 19, 2007
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/natio ... fa&k=73221

U.S. customs officials are downplaying recent complaints that they are getting tough with Canadians at the border and, in many cases, turning away those with criminal records.

Some Canadian immigration lawyers and businesses say they are seeing a higher volume of calls from people who were hassled and rejected at the border even though they have obtained pardons for their crime. But, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Kelly Klundt said the agents are following the law which requires would-be visitors with previous convictions to obtain a waiver that costs $545 US and takes up to a year to process.

“Just because Canada has (issued) a pardon, and individuals can receive a pardon, that doesn’t mean that in our eyes, and for our law enforcement purposes, their record is completely cleared,â€