'America Is a Welcoming Place:' U.S. Ambassador Pushes Back on Canada’s Travel Advisory

by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Wed June 11, 2025

The U.S. ambassador to Canada is pushing back against Ottawa’s updated travel advice warning Canadians of possible detention and scrutiny when entering the United States.

“We welcome Canadians to come in and invest, to spend their hard-earned Canadian dollars at U.S. businesses,” U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday.

“If a Canadian has had a disappointing experience coming into the United States, I’m not denying that it happened, but I’m saying it’s an isolated event and it is not a pattern,” he added.

Canada’s travel advisory cautions travellers that they could be detained if denied entry and warning them to “expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.”

The update followed reports of Canadians having their phones searched and, in some cases, being detained at the U.S. border.

Hoekstra rejected the idea that such actions are widespread.

“Coming to the U.S., that’s a decision for the Canadians to make. Searching devices and all of that is not a well-founded fear. We don’t do that. America is a welcoming place,” he said.

He also said Americans have voiced similar concerns about entering Canada.

“I’ve heard that from Americans coming into Canada as well, OK? Saying, ‘You know, we’ve not received a warm reception when we’ve gotten to Canadian customs,’” Hoekstra said.

When asked if Americans have also faced phone searches or detainment, Hoekstra acknowledged some consular complaints but suggested these, too, were one-offs.

“We’ve said, ‘OK this may have been an isolated event. There may have been a Canadian border person who was having a bad day, and thought they’d take it out on, you know, somebody across the border,’” he said.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) responded with a statement emphasizing professionalism and accountability among its officers.

“Employees are expected to conduct themselves in a way that upholds the values of integrity, respect and professionalism at all times,” said CBSA spokesperson Karine Martel.

“Treating people with respect, dignity and fairness is fundamental to our border services officers’ relationship with the public and a key part of this is serving all travellers in a non-discriminatory way.”

Hoekstra said travel choices are up to individuals. “If you decide that you’re not going to come down or whatever, that’s your decision and you’re missing an opportunity. There are great things to see in America,” he said.

Referencing recent public remarks by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, who said she travelled to the U.S. with a “burner phone” fearing privacy violations but was warmly received, Hoekstra encouraged people to focus on actual experiences over fears.

“It’s like, (let’s) get past the rhetoric and let’s look at the real experiences that people are having here,” he said.

Data suggest travel between the two countries has declined. Flight Centre Travel Group Canada reported a nearly 40% drop in Canada-U.S. flights year-over-year in February, while airlines have been cutting routes due to soft demand.

A Leger survey conducted in early May for the Association for Canadian Studies found 52% of Canadians believe it is “no longer safe for all Canadians travelling to the United States.”

Twenty-nine percent disagreed, and 19% were unsure. A similar proportion said they personally feel unwelcome in the U.S.

Some LGBTQ2S+ groups have opted out of events in the U.S., including World Pride in Washington and United Nations activities in New York, citing increased scrutiny at the border as the U.S. government scales back protections for transgender and nonbinary individuals.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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