Are we getting evicted from the US

Nikki and I are no strangers to US customs and immigration issues. A few years back when we were traveling by truck and trailer we would cross into the US and the border people would ask if you have anything to declare. I always thought this meant you could declare things and either pay the duty or toss it out. 

On our previous trips across the border, we would tell them what foods we had and they would say ok you cannot bring the red meat or chicken but everything else is good. We would pull over and get rid of the meat and they sent us on our way. In fact, the border agents told us on numerous crossings from Canada and Mexico that it is best to tell them what we have and they would toss out the prohibited items because the list of items allowed changes frequently. 

But in January of 2022, we were in for a different experience, we pulled up to the border and I told him we had some cut-up fruit that we had not finished on our drive from Squamish to the border. Nikki hates to waste food so she took our leftover fruits and veggies and cut them up since we were leaving for 5-6 months. We decided rather than say nothing, we would tell them we had some fruit and veggies that we cut up and did not finish. He said no problem and sent us over to the inspection area. The person there was either having a bad day or was just upset that we wanted to get rid of our food when crossing. She tore into us about how she could confiscate our vehicles and as NEXUS pass holders she could cancel them. She even insinuated that we could have done this in the past and basically said we are criminals. She even locked Zorro in a cage so she could inspect the truck and trailer. Now in fairness, she did find our stash of dog food and freeze-dried liver treats. You see we checked the website before we came down to make sure that dog food was ok, it is but it needs to be in the original package. We had some in an airtight container and some in bags so she confiscated that food not in a bag as it could be different. She also said that freeze-dried liver treats are raw meat and are illegal. We let her know we checked their website and it liver treats were ok.

Her exact words were “I do not know why people keep saying we have a website, we don’t.” My thought was perhaps she should check into this as they have a website. Long rant, sorry about that.

I am now on an agricultural violator list. I know this because every time I cross into the US now I get searched for agricultural items. It does not matter if I am driving, flying, and even when we enter the US by boat the US Customs and Immigration agents called us their agricultural violators. Not a huge issue, just a funny inconvenience as I tell them the story, some shake their heads as it is a waste of their time to inspect me every time I cross; others take it way too seriously. 

Now back to Annapolis and the 4th of July events that were going to take place there. We were on a mooring ball right by the Naval Academy and the Annapolis City Docks where there was going to be a parade and fireworks. We got a call on our VHF asking us to come to the Dock Master and chat with US Customs and Immigration. We have been in the US since late May when we checked into Charleston South Carolina, so we are not sure what it could be that they need from us. 

OK, now it gets interesting. The agent wanted our boat papers and clearance into the US. Nikki is the listed captain on our boat and she does all the check-ins and customs info, as such she hands the agent the papers and asks what the problem is. He turns away from her and starts to talk to just me, basically ignoring her. But he is asking me things I do not know and Nikki is answering but he still talks to me not her. He asks if we have brought anything illegal into the US. I ask him if this is about our fruit and veggie issue and agricultural violation. He says yes, and proceeds to ask us if we have any fruits or vegetables on board. To which we laugh a little as we have been in the US for 6 weeks so of course we have done some shopping. He was not impressed with this answer. 

The issue at play here is that this particular agent was not up to date on the cruiser permit that allows foreign-flagged vessels and their crew to travel around the US. You see, if you drive across the border with a trailer and you want to travel around the US there is no issue. Border agents let you in and away you go from driving from state to state. Boaters had a different process. You would need to apply for and receive a travel permit, but instead of being able to travel freely, you had to check in and check out of each port of entry. If we take Florida as an example, if you checked in at Miami as your first port of entry, your next port of entry is Fort Lauderdale so you would need to check out of Miami and into Fort Lauderdale. You would need to do this during your entire time in the US. Some of these are just phone calls, some are via an app, and others you have to do in person. It all just depended on the state and the port of entry. It was all very cumbersome and took up the time of the agents and the boaters so it was changed before or during Covid. Now once you get the permit you can move freely through the US waters so long as you do not leave and go offshore this would require a check-out and check-in. 

We tried to explain this to our misogynist agent in Annapolis but he was having none of it. Instead, he threatened to confiscate our boat and kick us out if we did not check in and out at each port of entry. Rather than argue we just said sorry and told him we would follow his orders. The funny thing is that every time we called the agents at each port of entry they were almost annoyed at the intrusion. They never took our names, the boat name, or even asked us any questions instead they just told us we don't need to call in and to proceed. 

The bottom line is we got to stay in the US, we watched the parade during the day and that night we took our dinghy out to watch the fireworks. It was truly a great visit and we both love Annapolis, there is so much history and it has some great places to walk around. Plus we cleared Zorro of the cancer scare and had a quick visit to Washington DC (5 hours - just a teaser) so we are very happy that we spent the time there but it is now time to move on and explore the Chesapeake Bay. 

Let the fun and games begin.