I went to college in Sault Ste. Marie. Much of the casual border-crossing came on Sundays - when our Canadian pals came to the American side because their bars were closed - and Mondays, when we did the same, in the opposite direction.
One long, cold winter, I hitch-hiked across to Sault, Ont. every night for play rehearsals. Canadian customs was always a piece of cake, but depending on who was working that night (I got to know them all) US customs could be a real pain in the ass.
It was the late '60s, amd word on the street was that the US Border Patrol could stop anyone, for any reason, and hold them for up to 90 hours without letting them contact anyone, and with no due process whatsoever. I have no idea if that was true, but there were lots of rumors of draft-dodgers trying to sneak back in to visit their families and being held incommunicado.
I suspect that in the long term the new rules will be used much as the old ones were (and as some airport screening measures are now): As a tool US Customs can use if they want to, but mostly won't because it's too much bother.
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One long, cold winter, I hitch-hiked across to Sault, Ont. every night for play rehearsals. Canadian customs was always a piece of cake, but depending on who was working that night (I got to know them all) US customs could be a real pain in the ass.
It was the late '60s, amd word on the street was that the US Border Patrol could stop anyone, for any reason, and hold them for up to 90 hours without letting them contact anyone, and with no due process whatsoever. I have no idea if that was true, but there were lots of rumors of draft-dodgers trying to sneak back in to visit their families and being held incommunicado.
I suspect that in the long term the new rules will be used much as the old ones were (and as some airport screening measures are now): As a tool US Customs can use if they want to, but mostly won't because it's too much bother.