A Canadian woman travelling in the U.S. shared an unusual comment she received from an agent at a U.S.-Canada border crossing, drawing mixed comments from netizens.
Erin Rafferty, 35, who goes by the username @ecomera on TikTok, is a business owner and content creator from the Moncton area in New Brunswick. Since 2019, Rafferty and her husband have been spending extensive time in the U.S. and visiting different states in a trailer.
The couple wanted to make the most of the opportunity to travel while their children were still too young to attend school. So, in 2024, they invested in a new trailer, a truck, and a lifetime campground membership with access to all U.S. parks. Considering current tensions between Canada and the U.S., Rafferty said they did have second thoughts.
“I was genuinely nervous about coming down. My family asked us to cancel, and we seriously considered it,” she said in an email statement. “But in the end, we had made a big investment into this lifestyle — and it felt like too much to forfeit.”
Rafferty said that they’re drawn to the U.S. landscape and the food.
“We’ve always found the people we meet in person to be welcoming, friendly, and genuinely kind,” she stated.
In a video posted on March 29, she recounted their experience crossing south of the border. At first, they tried to cross through the St. Stephen-Calais border crossing in New Brunswick.
“I don’t know if this one has always closed or if traffic is down, but it was closed,” she said in the video. “So we found another border crossing in the same little area.”
At the next border crossing, she said an officer approached them and asked for their passports. A standard encounter followed: the officer asked them about their jobs, if they had any weapons, and how long they planned to visit.
“When we said we were staying for three months, it looks like he started a different protocol in his head,” shared Rafferty. “He went back to his kiosk, then he came back and asked to search around our trailer.”
@ecomera We crossed the border. Here’s what happened. #usa #canadian #travel ♬ original sound – Erin
She noted that the officer didn’t ask them about their dogs or microchips.
“But he did say that we are under a new administration,” she recalled. “[He said], ‘And I know you guys do this every single year, but this year is different.'”
He then informed them that he had flagged them in the system and they’d have 90 days to “be in and out of the country.”
“He also told us that we are entitled to six months in the United States, and if we planned to stay longer than our 90 days, all we had to do was call them and let them know,” shared Rafferty. “He then said, ‘Have a great trip and don’t live in the United States,’ and sent us on our way.”
As of Friday, April 11, Canadians aged 14 and older who visit the U.S. must complete an “alien registration form” and be fingerprinted for the government beginning Friday. This rule applies to Canadians planning to visit the U.S. for over 30 days.
The video has since gone viral, with nearly five million views on TikTok. It also has over 26,000 comments, and the viewer sentiment is divided.
An American viewer wrote, “I promise you, America is better than ever. They are protecting us, finally. Y’all have a safe and fun trip!”
But another viewer urged, “As an American, please be careful. This administration is out of control, and I don’t want to see more innocent people get hurt.”
Viewers expressed their concern as some Canadians have been worried about travelling to the U.S., causing them to cancel their trips altogether.
Someone stated, “I know I should mind my own business, but I can’t! Canadians are boycotting American products and travel. Couldn’t you have skipped going this year?”
“Didn’t the PM just warn us? Why take chances with children?” asked a viewer.
Someone else observed, “The guard warning you… Jesus, this is so dystopian.”
Rafferty said in her email that she’s received “incredibly mixed” responses to her video. People anxious about travelling to the U.S. thanked her for sharing their experience, saying it helped ease their nerves.
But the comments haven’t all been positive.
“I’ve also been called a ‘traitor,'” she said. “Some people have even said they hope I’m detained or imprisoned — which is a scary reaction to someone taking their kids on a camping trip and planning to visit Disneyland.
“Some of the comments have been harsh and deeply personal — from Canadians — and it’s sad to see us so divided, scared, and angry.”
Despite the online discourse, Rafferty has a different interpretation of the border agent’s comment.
“As he handed back our documents, he smiled and said, ‘Have a good trip — and don’t live in the USA,'” she said. “I took it as a straightforward reminder of the rules. Canadians aren’t allowed to live permanently in the U.S.”
However, she said that online, people interpreted it as “something deeper,” a warning, or a comment on the current political climate.
“To me, it didn’t feel hostile or outside what I would consider a normal interaction with someone in his line of work,” she explained. “It felt like he was doing his job and giving a stern but casual reminder — something like, ‘Hey, enjoy your trip, but remember the rules.'”
Rafferty said that the only difference during this trip was the intensity of the online reactions to their decision to go on vacation in the U.S.
“In person, we’ve continued to experience the same warmth and kindness we always have — with the exception of one 51st state joke that didn’t land well with us,” she stated. “But online, things have been much more polarized — some people have been very supportive, while others have been extremely critical, even hostile.”
