cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30985804

The American ambassador to Canada is pushing back on Ottawa’s travel advice, saying his country doesn’t search phones at the border and arguing some Americans travelling here are having a tough time.

“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.”

In April, Ottawa updated its advice to Canadians travelling to the United States to warn them about the possibility they might be detained if denied entry.

“Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices,” reads the new guidance.

There have been reports of Canadians facing intensified scrutiny at the border, having phones searched and, in some cases, being detained.

Hoekstra insisted concerns about device searches are not grounded in reality.

“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.