Canadian-Born Track Athlete Says He Was Denied Entry into US

A 19-year-old Canadian track and field athlete was denied entry into the United States at the Vermont border crossing in Stanstead, Quebec, on Thursday.

Yassine Aber, a student at Sherbrooke University in Quebec, said he was travelling with his track team when he was held at the border, questioned for five hours and ultimately prevented from entering the US. Aber, a Canadian-born kinesiology student with a valid passport, told CBC he was grilled about his religion, Moroccan roots, which countries he had recently visited, and had his phone temporarily seized. He was forced to give the agent the password to his phone during an ordeal he says lasted five hours.

Aber, who says his parents were born in Morocco but have lived in Canada for 25 years, travelled in a car with five fellow athletes and a coach, all of whom were allowed to enter the US for the school's athletic competition in Boston. In total, a group of 20 Sherbrooke students travelled to Boston, with Aber being the only one who was refused entry.

Aber, who told CBC he was forced to fill out papers and answer questions about where he was born and whether he frequented mosques, said he wasn't allowed to cross because he didn't have a valid visa, which he shouldn't have needed as a Canadian citizen with a passport that he says doesn't expire until 2026.

A representative of the US Customs and Border Protection agency at the border crossing in Stanstead refused to comment when reached by VICE Sports, saying he was unable to disclose any information regarding Aber's situation.

An official at Sherbrooke University transferred an interview request to the school's athletic department. VICE Sports was unable to get through and left a voice message, but has yet to hear back.

"I was told it's a privilege for people from other countries to come to the United States and that privilege can be taken away at any time," Aber told CBC. "It sucks that I wasn't able to compete, but at least it was only me and not the whole team that was denied entry."

Aber says he's travelled to the US many times before without incident. VICE Sports was unable to get through to someone at the US Consulate General office in Toronto for comment.

Last Saturday, four Canadians of Moroccan heritage were denied entry into Vermont at a different border crossing in Quebec. Like Aber, they were also questioned about their Moroccan roots, as well as their Muslim faith, according to CBC.

Morocco was not one of the seven countries listed on the US travel ban that temporarily went into effect under President Trump's executive order last month. The ban, targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries, was put on hold by a Seattle judge last week, and then upheld by the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in a unanimous vote on Thursday, although Trump vows to fight the decision.