REPORT CRITICAL OF ABUSIVE BORDER CONTROLS AND NO-FLY LISTS

Mike Miles

[Feb 17, 2009 03:55 PM] Wisconsin log cabin restorer Mike Miles is considered undesirable in Canada because of his long string of misdemeanor convictions for non-violent peace activism in the U.S., but last May he was allowed to enter Manitoba simply by paying $200.

On May 19, 2008, he drove across the border on his way to a job on an island in the Northwest Angle of Minnesota, a 40-minute drive on Canadian soil.

"I was told I wasn't welcome in Canada but they (Canadian border guards) decided to let me fill out a temporary citizenship form as they had determined that I would not be a threat to the Canadian people. So fortunately for a mere $200 tax I was able to drive through Canada to get to my job in Minnesota. I asked them if they would admit Martin Luther King Jr. to Canada and they said under current circumstances he would not be welcome either," he said.

Mr. Miles and his wife used to attend the annual Winnipeg Fold Festival but they don't travel to Canada anymore because the nine hour trip from their home to the border isn't worth the risk of being denied entry.

"We're sorry we can't spend our money in Canada anymore," he said.