South of the Border

You should be concerned about traveling south of the border, especially if you’re a Canadian, according to this story from the Great White North.

Gill said she was taken into a garage-type inspection building with three officers who searched her bike. Her friend wasn’t allowed in and told to get to the road. Officers looked through Gill’s wallet and saw that she had an interim driver’s license, which they said was legal, but suspicious.

Officers did not find anything illegal but said Gill would have to undergo a strip search.

“I said, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong, I don’t know why you would need to do that,’” said Gill, recounting the moment with tears welling up. “I got scared. I got really scared. I said, ‘Can you please call the police?’ and they said, ‘No, we’re not going to call the police.’

“They said that they have more power than the police, and the police have no jurisdiction now, and whatever they say goes.”

Gill refused to undress as three men, and no women were in the room, but no other options were given.

“It was startling and scary to see those doors go down and having that instant realization I’m trapped in a room with three men.”

None of the officers, one who insisted he was the supervisor, would give out their names.

“They took my clothes off, ” said Gill, her voice breaking with emotion, “…and did an internal cavity search of my body. And it was awful. It was really bad, and I just can’t understand.

I guess it’s just another day at the office.