Canadian church volunteers 'stopped from entering US over fears they'd steal American jobs'
Group leader says the 'poorest neighbourhoods' will miss out on help
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A group of Canadian volunteers was prevented from entering the US to clean up storm-damaged homes because border guards feared they would be taking American jobs.
The 12-strong team from the Rehoboth United Reformed Church in Hamilton, Ontario, had planned to help neighbourhoods in New Jersey which remain affected by 2012's Hurricane Sandy.
The group's leader, Erik Hoeksema, admitted he had failed to ensure documents explaining the visit were sent ahead of his arrival.
But he told CBC News he managed to have two letters faxed from the American church that was hosting them, making it clear that they were there for "neighbourhood cleanups".
The volunteers were nonetheless denied entry to the US.
A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stressed that "visitors intending to perform work for humanitarian purposes must provide documentation in advance to the port where they are seeking admission to the US".
In a Facebook post, Mr Hoeksema said: "This is an unfortunate incident, and the sad part is we're not the ones who lose in this. The (American) people who we were going to help miss out. As is always the case, it's the poorest neighbourhoods that have to suffer."
Below his post he shared a message from Seth Kaper-Dale, the pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park in New Jersey, where Mr Hoeksema's group was heading.
Mr Kaper-Dale claimed the Canadians were told that "by coming here they were stealing American jobs".
In a later post Mr Hoeksema said the border guards had been "kind".
The CBP spokesman told The Independent: "[CBP's] primary mission is to prevent the entry of terrorists and their weapons into the US, while facilitating the legitimate flow of trade and travel over the border.
"CBP is also responsible for enforcing US laws and regulations that safeguard American industry, including laws that restrict employment of foreign visitors.
"International visitors intending to perform work for humanitarian purposes must provide documentation in advance to the port where they are seeking admission to the US.
"That should include a letter from the municipality stating what the arriving group will be doing.
"In this case, CBP attempted to assist the group, but ultimately the group was unable to obtain the proper documentation to support this visit."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments