Gay man refused entry to US due to hook-up app profile

[Luc 4,776]

US Customs block Canadian man after reading his Scruff profile

 

A Vancouver man was denied entry into the United States after a US Customs and Border Patrol officer read his profiles on the gay hookup app Scruff and the website BBRT.

The officer suspected the man was a sex worker because he found messages from the man saying he was “looking for loads,” and assumed it meant he was soliciting sex for cash.

While the misunderstanding might sound funny, it underscores the bitter reality that non-Americans have very few rights at the border, and that even suspicion of criminal behaviour can be used to deny non-Americans entry. 

André, a 30-year-old Vancouver set decorator who declined to give his full name for fear of retaliation from US Customs, describes the experience as “humiliating.”

André says he was planning to visit his boyfriend, who was working in New Orleans. But when he was going through Customs preclearance at Vancouver airport last October, he was selected for secondary inspection, where an officer took his phone, computer and other possessions, and demanded the passwords for his devices.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was scared, so I gave them the password and then I sat there for at least an hour or two. I missed my flight,” André says. “He came back and just started grilling me. ‘Is this your email?’ and it was an email attached to a Craigslist account for sex ads. He asked me, ‘Is this your account on Scruff? Is this you on BBRT?’ I was like, ‘Yes, this is me.’”

When the officer asked him what he meant by “looking for loads,” André says he tried to explain, but the officer kept grilling him.

“I could tell just by his nature that he had no intentions of letting me through. They were just going to keep asking me questions looking for something,” he says. “So I asked for the interrogation to stop. I asked if I go back to Canada am I barred for life? He said no, so I accepted that offer.”

A month later, André attempted to fly to New Orleans again. This time, he brought what he thought was ample proof that he was not a sex worker: letters from his employer, pay stubs, bank statements, a lease agreement and phone contracts to prove he intended to return to Canada.

When he went through secondary inspection at Vancouver airport, US Customs officers didn’t even need to ask for his passwords — they were saved in their own system. But André had wiped his phone of sex apps, browser history and messages, thinking that would dispel any suggestion he was looking for sex work. Instead, the border officers took that as suspicious.

“They went through my computer. They were looking through Word documents,” André says. “I had nude photos of myself on my phone, and they were questioning who this person was. It was really humiliating and embarrassing.”

“They said, ‘Next time you come through, don’t have a cleared phone,’ and that was it. I wasn’t let through. He said I’m a suspected escort. You can’t really argue with them because you’re trapped,” he says.

André says he lost at least $1200 on non-refundable flights and hotels on the two cancelled trips.

Read more: http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531

[Morphine Prince 109,926]

Disturbing how they went through all his accounts and devices. 

[Seeka 12,372]

I'd sue.

I mean, after all this could be a case for slander.

But this entire thing is ridiculous.

And what man in this world doesn't know load is slang for cum?

[FATCAT 60,929]

Who knew? Donald Trump is keeping our loads safe from these ****-eaters.

[gagaisitalian 3,573]

Why is he looking for loads on his way to visit his boyfriend though

[DiscoHeaven23 35,007]

Okay so i read this title and scrolled over it to see the rest of the title and I must of not had my cursor over the right thing so what showed up had something to do with the Joanne World Tour and I thought this was gonna be about "Gay Man Refused Entry to US Due to Joanne World Tour"

 

 

[Ricardo 8,214]

 

Just now, LDR said:

Why is he looking for loads on his way to visit his boyfriend though

I noticed that too  maybe it's an open relationship?

But anyway, US board officers are more and more intrusive towards people trying to visit, I don't see the need to go through someone's phone, if someone is there to make harm they will anyway even if you go through his Grindr profile 

[gagaisitalian 3,573]

Just now, Ricardo said:

 

I noticed that too  maybe it's an open relationship?

But anyway, US board officers are more and more intrusive towards people trying to visit, I don't see the need to go through someone's phone, if someone is there to make harm they will anyway even if you go through his Grindr profile 

Yeah that's such BS but this isn't a surprising news story with everything going around these days. 

[Seeka 12,372]

8 minutes ago, LDR said:

Why is he looking for loads on his way to visit his boyfriend though

I'm assuming it could be an open relationship or he keeps the accounts active to talk to friends. or he forgot to delete the accounts once he had gotten a boyfriend. All of these are possibilities. I like to think he forgot to delete the accounts. The relationship is obviously serious enough if he spent enough money to get a plane ticket.

[gagaisitalian 3,573]

5 minutes ago, Seeka said:

I'm assuming it could be an open relationship or he keeps the accounts active to talk to friends. or he forgot to delete the accounts once he had gotten a boyfriend. All of these are possibilities. I like to think he forgot to delete the accounts. The relationship is obviously serious enough if he spent enough money to get a plane ticket.

I don't really care to defend his actions. He had two gay sex accounts open and nude photos all on his phone. Call me old-fashioned but monogamy is where it's at. 

The gay aids epidemic isn't going anyway anytime soon if we have guys "looking for loads" and then flying to a different country to have sex with someone they label their boyfriend.

[Ferrer Zorola 3,966]

Well he got loads... of questions lmao 😂 

[Saint Hollywood 37,364]

27 minutes ago, Luc said:

When the officer asked him what he meant by “looking for loads,” André says he tried to explain, but the officer kept grilling him.

 oh my god why

[PartySick 174,197]

Tbh none of that stuff is anyone's business other than his and whoever's "load" he "finds".

Make your choice: privacy or security.

Edit: Why is he even being held as a suspected prostitute? Even if he's hooking up and getting paid for it, how is that a threat to our national security? That makes no sense at all. We need these immigration laws to be specific and well thought out. Don't allow any wiggle room - take out any vague lines. Don't let donuts like this guy (the officer) be able to hold people for literally no reason and stop invading people's privacy. What he does with his d*ck is none of our concern.

[En_Sabah_Nur 9,366]

20 minutes ago, LDR said:

Why is he looking for loads on his way to visit his boyfriend though

Gurl.......... don't even ask.  Smh   

 

[ThisGuyTony 35,290]

Uhmmm since when can they look through your phone for entering the country?