WA state Catholic school says students of color ‘singled out’ for “harsh and xenophobic” treatment while crossing the border back from Canada

[essentialsaltes]

Several Eastside Catholic School students, nearly all of them students of color, were pulled aside and “harshly” questioned by a U.S. border agent on their return from a school trip to Canada, according to a letter sent to families earlier this week.

The Sammamish private school said Friday it plans to file a formal complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the letter sent to families, school president Gil Picciotto wrote that one agent accused students of attempting to enter the country illegally and questioned their affiliation with the school, despite the students being fully documented and accompanied by staff. The students were in Canada for a band and choir trip.

“Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment.

CBP responded Friday, saying it “firmly rejects” the school’s claims.

Like the school, other travelers have also accused border agents of racial bias while crossing into Washington from Canada. In 2020, several people of Middle Eastern heritage said they were held at the border for hours and questioned. All of them were either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

 

[BCP1928]

Catholic school kids on a band trip? That's a good one--right on brand.

 

[Sif]

Several Eastside Catholic School students, nearly all of them students of color, were pulled aside and “harshly” questioned by a U.S. border agent on their return from a school trip to Canada, according to a letter sent to families earlier this week.

The Sammamish private school said Friday it plans to file a formal complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the letter sent to families, school president Gil Picciotto wrote that one agent accused students of attempting to enter the country illegally and questioned their affiliation with the school, despite the students being fully documented and accompanied by staff. The students were in Canada for a band and choir trip.

“Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment.

CBP responded Friday, saying it “firmly rejects” the school’s claims.

Like the school, other travelers have also accused border agents of racial bias while crossing into Washington from Canada. In 2020, several people of Middle Eastern heritage said they were held at the border for hours and questioned. All of them were either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

Well, DHS-ICE has been ordered to get those arrest numbers up by Secretary Noem and President Trump. Looks like ICE is putting in the effort. They have to meet their quota one way or the other.

 

[BCP1928]

Well, DHS-ICE has been ordered to get those arrest numbers up by Secretary Noem and President Trump. Looks like ICE is putting in the effort. They have to meet their quota one way or the other.

This was CPB helping out. The agenda was the same, though.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Several Eastside Catholic School students, nearly all of them students of color, were pulled aside and “harshly” questioned by a U.S. border agent on their return from a school trip to Canada, according to a letter sent to families earlier this week.

The Sammamish private school said Friday it plans to file a formal complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the letter sent to families, school president Gil Picciotto wrote that one agent accused students of attempting to enter the country illegally and questioned their affiliation with the school, despite the students being fully documented and accompanied by staff. The students were in Canada for a band and choir trip.

“Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment.

CBP responded Friday, saying it “firmly rejects” the school’s claims.

Like the school, other travelers have also accused border agents of racial bias while crossing into Washington from Canada. In 2020, several people of Middle Eastern heritage said they were held at the border for hours and questioned. All of them were either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

U.S. Customs has for years and years, at least 50 years now, been hostile to returning American citizens. I've crossed into Canada and back many times. The Canadians are nice. They don't want to give you any VAT back yet otherwise they are faultlessly nice. But getting back into the USA has never been easy for me and I'm boringly Caucasian. Searches and long questioning where they are trying to trip me up. What a chore.

That said I hope those students can sue and win.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Several Eastside Catholic School students, nearly all of them students of color, were pulled aside and “harshly” questioned by a U.S. border agent on their return from a school trip to Canada, according to a letter sent to families earlier this week.

The Sammamish private school said Friday it plans to file a formal complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the letter sent to families, school president Gil Picciotto wrote that one agent accused students of attempting to enter the country illegally and questioned their affiliation with the school, despite the students being fully documented and accompanied by staff. The students were in Canada for a band and choir trip.

“Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment.

CBP responded Friday, saying it “firmly rejects” the school’s claims.

Like the school, other travelers have also accused border agents of racial bias while crossing into Washington from Canada. In 2020, several people of Middle Eastern heritage said they were held at the border for hours and questioned. All of them were either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection firmly rejects claims made by the Eastside Catholic School that students faced discrimination upon returning to the U.S. CBP is required to determine the admissibility of all travelers attempting to enter the U.S. Every admissibility inspection is unique and at times CBP officers may ask further questions to determine a traveler’s admissibility. Per policy, CBP does not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other reason.”

I believe the CBP statements over the school.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

U.S. Customs has for years and years, at least 50 years now, been hostile to returning American citizens. I've crossed into Canada and back many times. The Canadians are nice. They don't want to give you any VAT back yet otherwise they are faultlessly nice. But getting back into the USA has never been easy for me and I'm boringly Caucasian. Searches and long questioning where they are trying to trip me up. What a chore.

That said I hope those students can sue and win.

Your experience is evidence that xenophobia did not play a part in this situation. CBD was just doing their job and liberal faculty were seeing things trough anti-Trump colored lenses.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Your experience is evidence that xenophobia did not play a part in this situation. CBD was just doing their job and liberal faculty were seeing things trough anti-Trump colored lenses.

Xenophobia might have had a part but the U.S. border enforcement folks have a whole lot of something going on for all sorts of people. It's not at all new that it can be hard for a U.S. citizen to get back into the country from Canada. OTOH I have never had an issue flying into the country.

 

[chevyontheriver]

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection firmly rejects claims made by the Eastside Catholic School that students faced discrimination upon returning to the U.S. CBP is required to determine the admissibility of all travelers attempting to enter the U.S. Every admissibility inspection is unique and at times CBP officers may ask further questions to determine a traveler’s admissibility. Per policy, CBP does not discriminate based on religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other reason.”

I believe the CBP statements over the school.

Meh. I wasn't there. What SHOULD have happened is the whole band should have been approved as a group. I'm presuming here they were all on one bus.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Meh. I wasn't there. What SHOULD have happened is the whole band should have been approved as a group. I'm presuming here they were all on one bus.

Well, if things like this did not happen

Texas AG says Catholic charity is smuggling migrants into US, running a ‘stash house’

The Texas Attorney General says that Annunciation House has crossed the line, and is helping migrants cross the border into the US

nypost.com

Then there would have been no reason not to blanketly approve an entire school group.

 

[ozso]

Good grief, that's their job. They're supposed to detain and question people. They were doing that when I was traveling back and forth between the US and Canada back in the 90s.

 

[ozso]

U.S. Customs has for years and years, at least 50 years now, been hostile to returning American citizens. I've crossed into Canada and back many times. The Canadians are nice. They don't want to give you any VAT back yet otherwise they are faultlessly nice. But getting back into the USA has never been easy for me and I'm boringly Caucasian. Searches and long questioning where they are trying to trip me up. What a chore.

That said I hope those students can sue and win.

Sue for what? To set a precedent that anyone who's not white is immune from border checks?

 

[Landon Caeli]

"Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment."

...Sounds like some of the kids were pulled aside... A lot of them were black... Maybe it was just a coincidence. It's not like anyone was psychologically abused or tormented, were they?

 

[ozso]

"Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment."

...Sounds like some of the kids were pulled aside... A lot of them were black... Maybe it was just a coincidence. It's not like anyone was psychologically abused or tormented, were they?

The idea here is that anyone who gets set aside for a routine border check who's not white has been victimized. That border control should be afraid to question anyone who's not clearly white.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

"Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment."

...Sounds like some of the kids were pulled aside... A lot of them were black... Maybe it was just a coincidence. It's not like anyone was psychologically abused or tormented, were they?

Sounds like how when a cop gives a guy ticket for going +30 Mph over the speed limit and the guy calls the cop racist.

 

[ozso]

Sounds like how when a cop gives a guy ticket for going +30 Mph over the speed limit and the guy calls the cop racist.

And the only reason why the cop issued the ticket is because he has a quota to meet.

I read border agents wear bodycams, so it would be very interesting to see what actually transpired.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Several Eastside Catholic School students, nearly all of them students of color, were pulled aside and “harshly” questioned by a U.S. border agent on their return from a school trip to Canada, according to a letter sent to families earlier this week.

The Sammamish private school said Friday it plans to file a formal complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In the letter sent to families, school president Gil Picciotto wrote that one agent accused students of attempting to enter the country illegally and questioned their affiliation with the school, despite the students being fully documented and accompanied by staff. The students were in Canada for a band and choir trip.

“Almost all students who were pulled aside were students of color,” the letter reads.

He praised the students and faculty for responding with grace in the face of “harsh and xenophobic” treatment.

CBP responded Friday, saying it “firmly rejects” the school’s claims.

Like the school, other travelers have also accused border agents of racial bias while crossing into Washington from Canada. In 2020, several people of Middle Eastern heritage said they were held at the border for hours and questioned. All of them were either U.S. citizens or legal residents.

Sad, that this happened, Sad, that people are trying to excuse this act of racism and evil.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Sad, that this happened, Sad, that people are trying to excuse this act of racism and evil.

Like any other allegation, it may or may not be accurate. What my gut tells me, is that maybe the agents weren't polite, just like TSA isn't polite, and the school staff decided to make an issue out of it, after they realized that charges of racism might work in their favor.

...Many Canadians tend to be very friendly and polite - maybe the school group got used to that, and had trouble readjusting.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I believe the CBP statements over the school.

It is far safer to believe men with machine guns vs nuns with rulers.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Sad, that this happened, Sad, that people are trying to excuse this act of racism and evil.

Don’t automatically presume racism everywhere and always.