American ambassador downplays Canadian advisory about US travel | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Since the start of 2025 and Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, multiple countries have updated their travel advisories to reflect the administration’s focus on border security and immigration crackdown that in some cases extended to those coming in legally for tourism.

“Comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities,” the Canadian government writes in a U.S. travel advisory updated in April 2025. “If you are denied entry, you could be detained while awaiting deportation.”

Between several high-profile stories of citizens like Jasmine Mooney being detained while trying to enter the country and Trump’s repeated comments calling Canada “the 51st state,” Canadian travel to the U.S. saw a drastic drop in 2025 that has not improved even as the rhetoric eased somewhat by the spring.

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‘We don’t do that’: ambassador to Canada

Customs and Border Protection data shows that border crossings from Canada dropped by 12.5% in February and 18% in March while Statistics Canada documented a 35% decline in April road crossings.

In an interview with the country’s national news agency, American ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra called the fears that have been driving the decline in U.S. travel “unfounded” and the situations that the advisory warns about “isolated events.”

“If a Canadian has had a disappointing experience coming into the United States, I’m not denying that it happened, but I’m saying it’s an isolated event and it is not a pattern,” Hoekstra told the Canadian Press. “Searching devices and all of that is not a well-founded fear. We don’t do that. America is a welcoming place.”

Hoekstra’s reference to electronic devices, of which the Canadian travel advisory states travelers should “expect scrutiny,” is incorrect, given that both CBP and border agents for almost any other nation one is trying to enter have full right to request to see a traveler’s phone before granting admission.

Travel between the U.S. and Canada saw a dramatic drop under the second Trump administration.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

These are some travel advisories the US has issued recently

Hoekstra’s comment can, however, be interpreted to mean that phone searching doesn’t happen that frequently. Statistics from the last year for which data is available show that it is done for 0.01% of travelers on any given day — but government advisories are traditionally written in an alarmist tone to account for any scenario, particularly given a recent uptick.

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Throughout May, the U.S. State Department has issued a number of its own advisories to citizens traveling to different countries – the one for Switzerland spurred particular confusion and mockery online, given that the small European nation outperforms the U.S. on in almost all rankings of safety for both residents and visitors.

“If you decide to travel to Switzerland, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive messages and alerts from the U.S. Embassy and make it easier to locate you in an emergency,” the advisory reissued on May 20 reads. “Prepare a plan for emergency situations.”

When pushed about incidents along the Canadian border, Hoekstra once again said that any problems were isolated incidents related to particular travelers, rather than a change in policy.

“I’ve heard that from Americans coming into Canada as well, OK? Saying, ‘You know, we’ve not received a warm reception when we’ve gotten to Canadian customs,’” he said.