Canadians Warned To Avoid U.S. Travel After Canadian Child Detained For 51 Days

The number of Canadians arrested or detained by U.S. authorities has increased, particularly since President Trump took power in January 2025. Perhaps most alarmingly, the figures, which were analyzed by CTV News using data tools developed by the Deportation Data Project, include young children, one of whom was held for more than 50 days. These figures are adding even more fuel to Canada’s U.S. travel boycott; many Canadians say they’re increasingly worried about visiting the United States amid heightened border crackdowns, leaving them questioning their safety.

In fact, the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada’s (THIA) 2025 Winter Smart Traveller Survey found that a fifth of Canadians are anxious about their safety in the U.S.—one of many reasons travelers from Canada are avoiding visiting America this winter. Now, the newly revealed detention data may well compound Canadians’ fears, which one traveler from British Columbia spoke to TheTravel about after he was detained for hours at the border on a family trip with his kids. What’s more, the revelation, especially in terms of the detention of minors, has prompted experts to issue a new warning advising Canadians to avoid U.S. travel altogether.

Canadians Are More Wary Of U.S. Travel After Newly Revealed Data Shows An Increase In Canadian Detentions—Including Children, One Of Whom Was Held For 51 Days

Global Affairs Canada said in an email to CTV News that it knows of “multiple cases of Canadians (including children) currently or previously in immigration-related detention in the U.S. and has received requests for information and assistance from individuals and their family members.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention records now back that up and reveal the precise number of cases.

The data shows 434 Canadian detention stays from September 2023 to mid-October 2025. More than 200 Canadians have been admitted to ICE custody at some point since January, versus 137 in 2024 (as explained further in the YouTube video above by CTV News).

However, at least six Canadian children were among those detained during the two-year period. Their birth years range from 2009 to 2024. Notably, one Canadian child was detained for 51 days. That’s over double the 20-day legally allowed limit set by a U.S. court order enforcing protective provisions for migrant children in U.S. custody. Four of the minors were held at the South Texas Family Residential Center, which received a legal complaint over allegations of substandard medical care, inadequate drinking water, and legal assistance.

Four other Canadians were also kept at the Krome North Service Processing Center in Florida, which human rights advocates have criticized for overcrowding, limited access to legal counsel, and the prolonged use of solitary confinement.

Sharry Aiken, a professor at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, provided commentary to CTV News on the matter of Canadian children getting caught up in the Trump administration’s harsher enforcement of immigration and travel laws.

“What we’re seeing is a situation where children are detained in sometimes egregious conditions,” Aiken told CTV News. “[They are] without adequate access to food and health care and outdoor time, let alone access to legal counsel to assist in getting out of there. So, it’s really a concern,” she added.

Aiken continued discussing the growing matter of detained Canadians at large, not just children, saying, “Typically, in the past, what would happen if somebody was identified in the United States without proper documentation, they would be requested to leave. […] People were not routinely detained ancillary to this process. So that is what has changed.”

“Of course, it’s because of Trump. There’s no doubt about it,” Aiken said. “This was not happening to the same extent under the Biden administration, and it relates directly to executive orders that President Trump issued when he assumed office earlier this year.”

The rising number of detentions being flagged also comes as ICE criticism lingers following the death of a Canadian man in its custody in June. 49-year-old Johnny Noviello was found unresponsive at the Federal Detention Center in Miami and was pronounced dead, according to ICE.

Now, tighter and more frequent enforcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which also oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has many Canadians worried about visiting the U.S. In fact, one Canadian tourist spoke to TheTravel in December about his ordeal that left him and his family anxious about ever heading south again.

​​Detention Of Canadians With No Criminal Records Has Also Led To Increased Anxiety About Traveling To The U.S.

Travelers from Canada without any criminal stains on their record are also being subjected to uncertainty, issues at the border, and even arrests. Just two of the 434 Canadians detained in the two-year timeframe involved those with aggravated felony convictions (ranging from some misdemeanors to more serious offenses like violent, drug, and financial crimes), while six had other criminal convictions. But the majority, 366 Canadians in total, had no aggravated felony record.

The rise in detention cases also comes as Canadians have been warned of potential fines and prosecution by U.S. border officials for failure to register with the U.S. government for stays over 30 days. Additionally, the alleged inconsistent enforcement of such protocols at the border has also left many Canadians confused and not really knowing what to expect. As a result of all these issues, some travelers from Canada are feeling more concerned about visiting the U.S.—including one America-loving Canadian visitor who spoke to TheTravel in an interview last week.

In a call with TheTravel, Adam Boyd, a Canadian from British Columbia, revealed he was held for over nine hours by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in August when trying to cross the border at the Peace Arch in Washington for a family trip (seen above). With no criminal record, he remains clueless about why he was detained, and claims officials refused to tell him the reason he was held and denied entry.

“All of a sudden, [U.S. border officials] said, ‘Listen, you have two choices here. You can either be arrested and go to a detention facility and then go before a judge, or you can go back to Canada.’ And I said, ‘What is this regarding?’ And they said, ‘We don’t have to tell you what it’s regarding or why we’re not allowing you in,'” Boyd told TheTravel when explaining what happened during his time in custody at the U.S. border.

Boyd also told TheTravel that U.S. border authorities took his photo and a DNA sample by mouth swabbing (a procedure that’s also been on the rise and called out as “unconstitutional” after being enforced on U.S. citizens). Then, after giving him the choice to either be sent to a detention center and appear before a U.S. judge without knowing why, or to go back to Canada, he chose the latter, naturally.

“I don’t know what’s going on. It’s quite frustrating,” said Boyd. “I have a two-year-old daughter I’d like to take to Disneyland in the next couple of years,” he explained, but he now feels anxious about trying to vacation in the U.S. in the future because of his recent ordeal. Boyd isn’t the only Canadian to face such scrutiny and stress at the border, though.

Similar Incidents Have Happened To Canadians Traveling To The U.S. This Year

A similar incident occurred this week when a Canadian visitor’s vehicle was swarmed by CBP officials at the Windsor-Detroit border (seen below). Greg Williams was detained in front of his wife and father, but was later released after it was revealed that a name mix-up caused him to be flagged in the system.

Another Canadian with no criminal record was detained and refused at the U.S. border a few weeks ago due to charges that were dropped over 10 years ago. Meanwhile, Canadians are also being rejected by CBP over the “purpose of entry” rule, which happened to Devin Hayden, who was denied entry when he intended marry his American fiancée in a small ceremony in upstate New York.

Incidents like these, as well as actual detentions, appear to be on the rise, but Aiken told CTV News that the steep uptick in these instances happening to Canadians is down to a shift in enforcement by U.S. authorities, rather than an increase in criminality. Moreover, Aiken said the consequences of the crackdown can extend to travelers who believe they are, in good faith, following the rules, as was Adam Boyd’s experience.

“I was speaking to a colleague here in Toronto who told me of a terrible case,” Aiken told CTV News. “A protected person, granted protected status in Canada, mistakenly thought they could travel to the United States to visit a relative.” She said they were subsequently detained by ICE and deported to a third country, despite Canada being willing to receive them.

“Anybody could potentially get caught up […] And certainly, people who are not native-born Canadians are at greater risk,” Aiken said.

That “anybody” seemingly includes average Canadians with no apparent criminal history. Professor emeritus of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, Wayne Petrozzi, told CTV News that Canadians often underestimate how easy it is to transgress U.S. rules, even if unknowingly. He thus issued a warning to Canadian travelers who may be on the fence about heading to the U.S.

Canadians Have Been Warned About Travel To The U.S. After The Increase In Detentions And U.S. Border-Crossing Challenges

Citing the risks of traveling to the U.S. amid stricter rules and tighter enforcement (unclear protocols that have left many Canadians at the U.S. border confused and unprepared), Petrozzi also issued a warning to Canadians considering visiting the U.S.

“My advice actually would be don’t go,” Petrozzi told CTV News. “I think the risks now outweigh any reward,” he added.

“I really better be on my toes here if I’m going to cross that border, because it’s like sticking my hand in a fan: I’m gonna get hurt,” he said in an interview with CTV News. On top of warnings from experts, Canada’s own government has issued its own alerts to citizens heading to the U.S.

Global Affairs Canada Also Warned Canadians About Heavier CBP And ICE Scrutiny When Traveling To The U.S.

In recent weeks, Canada’s government has stated it has limited ability to assist and “cannot intervene on behalf of Canadians who do not meet entry or exit requirements for the United States,” according to The Globe and Mail, which is particularly the case for Canadians involved in brushes with ICE. Although official warnings from Global Affairs Canada have extended to Canadians visiting the USA as tourists as well.

Global Affairs Canada’s travel advisory for the United States added multiple fresh alerts in 2025 since U.S. border and immigration enforcement has become significantly more severe throughout 2025. One of the Canadian government’s most abrupt alerts this year was about travelers with “X” gender passport markers facing potential restrictions at the U.S. border, but another told its citizens to expect “scrutiny at ports of entry” and be prepared to provide proof of their trip. It warns that CBP might request:

• Evidence of residential, employment, or educational ties to Canada
• Proof of sufficient funds to cover the intended period of stay
• Proof that a trip to the U.S. is for a legitimate purpose and is reasonable in length

The government of Canada also reminded travelers that CBP may search their electronic devices, such as phones and laptops, which is increasingly more likely to happen. Device checks by U.S. border officials have risen by 400% in the last decade. And a similar trend is happening in 2025; analyzing figures from Canada’s Border Service Agency (CBSA) and U.S. CBP, TheTravel previously calculated that travelers are 10 times more likely to have their devices searched by U.S. border authorities than by Canadian border officials.