A mother with an infant was treated as if she was a terrorist by a CBSA agent. Was it because she is Israeli?

Renana Reuveni always wanted to visit Toronto to take in the sights as a tourist. But her visit began on a most sour note last week when she touched down at Pearson International Airport (a.k.a., the world’s worst airport).

But this time around, Pearson didn’t live up to its dubious distinction due to hopelessly long lineups as well as numerous delayed and cancelled flights. Rather, Renana, who was travelling with her infant daughter, Angelica, was inexplicably detained for five hours and treated rudely by a Canada Border Services Agency guard.

As Renana notes: "I felt like they were treating me like a terrorist or a criminal. They hassled and humiliated me for hours while my baby was crying. They searched my suitcase and even checked my tampons. It’s clear to me it was because I’m Israeli. The immigration officer yelled at me and said, 'You’re in a foreign country and you’ll do as I say.' He had hate showing in his eyes and seemed determined to humiliate me.”

Renana feels she was singled out for this humiliation given that she was the only person on the flight from London who had an Israeli passport. She feels that the agent who traumatized her was either anti-Israel or antisemitic – or both.

Renana notes that after the eight-hour flight from the U.K., she was kept in an area that did not have washrooms or a place to change Angelica’s diaper. It was only after “a few hours” that the authorities allowed her to retrieve food from her suitcase.

What’s more, she alleges the CBSA agent asked her several irrelevant questions and at one point, scrolled through her cellphone looking at personal information. She says the agent had “hate in his eyes” and rudely snapped at her several times.

Later, Renana and her daughter were taken to an area where she observed her suitcases being turned upside-down and emptied. The agent combed through her clothing, underwear, and even her personal hygiene products.

At the end of her ordeal, the CBSA agent sternly warned Renana that she better be on a flight back to London in two weeks or a warrant would be issued for her arrest.

Welcome to Canada…

Rebel News reached out the CBSA regarding Renana’s outrageous treatment. The agency sent along the following response:

“The CBSA does not comment or provide details on specific individual cases as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act.

“The CBSA’s role is to assess the security risk and admissibility of persons coming to Canada. All persons seeking entry to Canada must present to the CBSA and may be subject to a more in-depth exam. Admissibility of travelers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry. Upon arrival at a Canadian port of entry, travellers must demonstrate to a CBSA officer that they meet the requirements for entry into Canada. Officers are trained in interview, examination and investigative techniques. They use proven indicators, advance information, intelligence, innovative technology and information-sharing to carry out their mandate.

“As a law enforcement agency entrusted with protecting Canada’s borders, the Agency holds its employees to a high standard of conduct. All employees of the CBSA, regardless of tenure or position, are expected to conduct themselves in a way that upholds the integrity of CBSA programs by demonstrating professionalism in their day-to-day activities. CBSA employees are also required to complete mandatory diversity and inclusion race relations training, including anti-racism and anti-bias training courses.

“The CBSA has an accessible and centralized process by which the public is able to voice their feedback about the services it provides. Complaints received by the CBSA are taken seriously and are handled in an efficient, professional and impartial manner. Appropriate corrective measures follow when allegations are determined to be founded. For more information on the public complaints process and on how to file a complaint, please visit us online.”

Sadly, hiding behind the cloak of “privacy and confidentiality”, the CBSA is declining to provide any tangible information regarding Renana’s egregious treatment.

However, we hope that behind the scenes, CBSA is conducting an investigation regarding this outrageous incident. Renana, who is a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record, was treated as though she is a terrorist. 

Perhaps Renana’s mistake was to fly into Canada as a lawful tourist as opposed to an illegal alien without papers. Then she would’ve been put up at a swank hotel in Niagara Falls and given a meal and transportation allowance.

Welcome to Justin Trudeau’s Canada, in which the marketing slogan could very well be: “Penalizing the makers; rewarding the takers.”

David Menzies

Mission Specialist

David “The Menzoid” Menzies is the Rebel News "Mission Specialist." The Menzoid is equal parts outrageous and irreverent as he dares to ask the type of questions those in the Media Party would rather not ponder.

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