Indian Man Detained by US CBP After Mistakenly Crossing to Canadian Side of Niagara Falls

An Indian man claims his friend, by mistake, crossed to the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and got detained by CBP on the US border.

A social media post claimed that an Indian man got detained by the CBP at the US-Canada border after he crossed the border by mistake and went towards the Canadian side. "Right now, he is in custody near the US-Canada border. We are trying to call him for so long still no response. We don't know how to reach him and give his passport to him," a friend wrote seeking guidance from NRI communities.

He explained that the friend, along with his parents who came to the US two weeks ago, went on a trip to Niagara Falls. His brother's family from Buffalo also joined them there and after the trip, everybody returned to Buffalo. The man went out for some work and by mistake crossed the border. While returning to the US side, he was stopped.

"It is not clear but he called saying they are deporting him and asked for his passport to be brought to him immediately," the friend wrote, seeking help. Buffalo is one of the major US cities closest to the Canadian border. It takes 25 to 30 minutes to reach to the US side of the Niagara Falls from Buffalo. Going to the Canadian side by mistake may happen if there is a GPS or navigation error.

Reacting to the post, social media users said that the family should call the CBP office at the border crossing to know what happened -- and it might not be a case of deportation. "This kind of scenario is a daily thing for immigration on both sides in Niagara. Many years ago my friends too lost the way and had a similar problem. But those days CBP wasn’t on such high alert. A valid drivers license was enough then to for the CBP officers to check on status and let them back into US side. May be now they’re needing passport to verify status. I don’t think it’s too serious, but surely it is a hassle. He’s technically not detained, rather is held from reentry. Should sort out soon, if all his paperwork is okay," one said.

"In my experience, one cannot enter Canada without going through a proper border crossing check and the signboards on the highway are very clear when the border is nearing. It displays multiple warnings and also has a last exit to turn back before entering the border for immigration check. There should be something more to this story," another said.

Many argued that Canada border officials return such mistaken tourists but for the US CBP, it becomes a fresh entry and so required documents are to be presented.