Re: “Over $2.5 billion has been confiscated from Canadians traveling to the USA.”
Sorry, I don’t believe it.
$2.5 billion, and we are just now hearing about it?
$2.5 billion, and Canada is just now warning its citizens?
Let’s see a list of names, and the dates, and the amounts seized.
They would need to seize $100,000 from 25,000 people to get that much.
Or, they would need $1,000 from 2.5 million people!
And we are just now hearing about this?
On its official website, the Canadian government informs its citizens that “there is no limit to the amount of money that you may legally take into or out of the United States.” Nonetheless, it adds, banking in the U.S. can be difficult for non-residents, so Canadians shouldn’t carry large amounts of cash.
That last bit is excellent advice, but for an entirely different reason than the one Ottawa cites.
There’s a shakedown going on in the U.S., and the perps are in uniform.
Across America, law enforcement officers — from federal agents to state troopers right down to sheriffs in one-street backwaters — are operating a vast, co-ordinated scheme to grab as much of the public’s cash as they can; “hand over fist,” to use the words of one police trainer.
Travel advice
So, for any law-abiding Canadian thinking about an American road trip, here’s some non-official advice:
Avoid long chats if you’re pulled over. Answer questions politely and concisely, then persistently ask if you are free to go.
Don’t leave litter on the vehicle floor, especially energy drink cans.
Don’t use air or breath fresheners; they could be interpreted as an attempt to mask the smell of drugs.
Don’t be too talkative. Don’t be too quiet. Try not to wear expensive designer clothes. Don’t have tinted windows.
And for heaven’s sake, don’t consent to a search if you are carrying a big roll of legitimate cash.
As the Canadian government notes, there is no law against carrying it here or any legal limit on how much you can carry. But if you’re on an American roadway with a full wallet, in the eyes
Last time I visited the US (from Australia, not Canada) I was carrying about $5000 is US currency because my Australian bank values my long term custom and offered me a really good conversion rate - much better than I would have got anywhere else.
Customs didn’t confiscate my cash, but they came very close to doing so. They obviously regarded it as highly suspicious.
I spent that $5000 while I was in the US -and about another $20,000 on credit cards. To me, this really was just the type of money I’d expect to spend on my first long holiday in five years. I was surprised it was seen as suspicious. Yes, by some measures $5,000 is a lot of money - but it did seem odd. I doubt it’s really enough for any serious criminal trying to hide what they are doing.
or $2.5 billion from one person! lol
Although I know the cash forfeiture (seizure) scam is pretty bad. I agree that the numbers suggested here are pretty hard to swallow.
I was planning on retiring in Washington state with my $30 million dollar lottery win. I’m not sure I can do that now.
Not just from Canadians. The $2.5 B is total asset forfeitures. The number of forfeitures is 61,998. The Wall Street Journal used to print pages of the asset forfeiture notifications in its tiniest font twice a week. Those were just the federal forfeitures. The process is now streamlined such that the authorities don’t have to print the notices.
The source is the Washington Post.
The Wall Street Journal has been reporting on this for about twenty years.
This $2.5 B total just covers the federal and federal “equitable sharing” program. State asset forfeitures are in addition to this total.
I think that $2.5 billion figure, which I’ve heard before, is the amount of cash and goods seized from Americans during the last twenty years or so, not Canadians. I believe the author of this piece has it wrong.
I heard Florida has rated a “D” on Asset Forfeiture.
Maine rates an A-, because police departments and sheriff’s departments in Maine are not allowed to keep any money they seize.
All confiscated money goes into the state’s general fund, and it’s not that easy for the authorities to confiscate the assets in the first place.
"But Canadians do not just like to travel within Canada; we enjoy visiting the United States, and in record numbers we also travel overseas. Indeed, for Canadian travellers, 2007 was record-breaking in a number of ways: it was the first time Canadians took more than 25 million overnight trips abroad, and our spending on those trips was the highest ever at $22.5 billion."
(http://www41.statcan.gc.ca/2008/4007/ceb4007_000-eng.htm)
They are coming here to spend money on vacation, buy homes, buy stuff to bring back without VAT and high taxes.
I also believe many police would love to confiscate more money from non-US voters...
This is about $1000 per Canuck.