U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says it is conducting a “managerial review” of a road rage incident in which an alleged American border officer was seen speeding towards a Canadian tourist in a video that has since gone viral online.
In the 39-second clip, a uniformed officer is seen driving a grey pick-up truck and aggressively pursuing a Canadian tourist at a high rate of speed. The officer is initially seen tailgating the tourist’s vehicle which had an Ontario licence plate, before pulling up to the passenger side with his window down.
“Never come back to the U.S.,” the officer shouts before cutting the driver off.
According to the person who filmed the video, the incident happened on Interstate 90 in New York, approximately 3 km south of the Canada-U.S. border.
U.S. border officer dangerously speeds toward a Canadian tourist in road rage, yelling, ‘Never come to the U.S. again!’
byu/Searchingforgoodnews inTourismHell
The video first began to appear on social media on Sept. 26 and has gained millions of views since then.
In a statement to CityNews, U.S. border officials said they were reviewing the incident, but declined to share any additional details, citing U.S. privacy laws.
The agency said it takes all allegations of employee misconduct seriously and strives to be as transparent as possible.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stresses honor and integrity in every aspect of our mission,” Mike Niezgoda, a spokesperson for CBP told CityNews. “[We are] committed to ensuring that all employees are held to the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and personal conduct.”
Earlier this year, Global Affairs Canada updated its advisory for those travelling to the U.S., urging Canadians to expect scrutiny from border guards. This comes amid the backdrop of a trade war and threats of annexation from U.S. President Trump.
Canadians have largely responded by avoiding trips to the U.S. altogether. According to data from Statistics Canada, the number of Canadians making return trips from the U.S. by automobile decreased by 36.9 per cent in July from a year prior, marking the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year declines.
