Castanet reporter told to erase photos

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

As I drove down to the border through the sunny South Okanagan Friday morning, I wondered what lay ahead.

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings would there be long lines, additional questions and  a more thorough search of my vehicle.

It turned out to be business as usual,  with one good curveball thrown my way.

Upon arrival at the border in Osoyoos, there was a typical 10 minute wait, followed by the usual questions:  “where was I from, where was I headed and how long would I be in the U.S? “

When I identified myself as a reporter on assignment, the border official asked if I had taken any pictures.

When I informed him I had taken a few of the line-up leading up to the port of entry, I was handed my passport and a slip of paper, and told to park my car and step inside the building.

Feeling a tad worried at this point, knowing just how wrong things can go at border crossings, I sat and waited.

A supervisor soon came out and told me it wasn’t a good idea to take pictures of ports of entry and asked me to delete the pictures on my iPhone.  I did so under his watchful eye and continued on my way.

My destination was Prince’s Foods,  a popular shopping destination for Canadians who live just north of the border and residents of Oroville.

I wandered the parking lot, notebook in hand, asking lots of questions.

The majority I spoke to said it was business as usual.

“I came down to get gas and shop at Prince’s, and there was nothing different than normal,” said Fiona Wood, of Oliver. “If you hadn’t been watching the news, you wouldn’t even have known there was  heightened security.”

Pastor  Chuck Cooley from Osoyoos agreed.

“There is not really anything different, both the Canadian and American side are both polite and very professional,” he said. “But it’s not a time to be joking around as you cross the border. You have to be aware of what is going on and answer questions truthfully and with respect.”

Mike Milne, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Seattle,  said people were unlikely to notice anything different, because there are no changes to day to day operations at the border.

But law enforcement will still be keeping a watchful eye.

“The events in Boston are a long way from this area,” he said Friday afternoon, before the second suspect was taken into custody... “But everyone in the law enforcement community, including border officials, has heightened awareness.”

In terms of whether or not people were staying away from the border because of this week’s violent acts, he said it takes several days to gather up information on the number of people crossing the border.

“It is a pretty complicated process,” he said.

Nor did life in the American border town of  Oroville seem much affected. People loaded groceries into their cars at Prince’s or stopped in for lunch at the taco truck parked nearby.

On my return to the border, there was more of a line and a longer wait, something a few people driving back from Oroville to Canada said they were worried about.

But once I arrived at the booth, the border official asked the usual questions of where I had gone in the states, how long was I there and what was I bringing back”.

When I told him I was a reporter working on a story about heightened security, he asked me if  I had noticed any. I said, no, it appeared to be business as usual.

Then I was back on the road, heading north with a backseat full of Mexican food and a few less photos.

So, do I feel relieved by my findings at the border?

Honestly, the answer would be no.

What happened this week, from the bombings at the Boston Marathon, where people died and were wounded, to the manhunt for the two suspects, was sad and disturbing.

I share the sentiment of Art of Oroville, who told me he prefers peace.

Editor's note: Erase your photos, are you kidding me? I wonder if the guards know about the border cameras at other crossings? They show the same things Deb was shooting. Then again, what were they doing when she took the photos? Send your border crossing thoughts to [email protected] (less than 250 words, with first and last name) - I will post them this weekend.