'Her parents are Indian and so are mine': Calgarian rethinks flight in Trump travel ban era

A Calgary woman born to Indian parents is worried her tropical vacation could be ruined by U.S. border agents, as more and morestories emerge of Canadians being denied entry into the U.S. seemingly because of their ethnicity or religion.

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Vibhu Mahajan'supcoming trip to Panama includes a stopover in Houston, and though she's a born and raised Canadian with a Nexus card, she anticipates that U.S. border guards could give her a hard time because she's of Indian descent.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new version of his controversial travel ban, which barsnew visas for citizens from six Muslim-majority countries.

The original travel ban, signed in January, caused immediate panic and chaos at airports around the country as Homeland Security officials scrambled to interpret how it was to be implemented and travellers were detained before being sent back overseas or blocked from getting on airplanes abroad.

'Why was she turned away?'

Mahajan's concern spiked after a Montreal woman en route to a Vermont spa over the weekend was held at the U.S. border for six hours before she was ultimately denied entry and told she needed an immigrant visa.

Canadian citizen told she needs visa to visit U.S.

8 years ago

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Montrealer Manpreet Kooner was told at the U.S. border she needed a visa to visit the country, but at the embassy was told they couldn't help her.

"Her parents are Indian and so are mine, so that's where it resonated with me," Mahajan toldCBC Calgary News at 6.

"If this woman was turned away, what about me?" she asked.

"She has no criminal record. She holds a Canadian passport. She does not have dual citizenship. Why was she turned away?"

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Mahajan has contacted her airline and visited the U.S. embassy website to see what, if any, additional paperwork she might need to transit through the U.S.

"It turns out I don't [need any], but that could change. Who knowswith the new travel ban?" she asked.

Mahajan says she has no interest in travelling to the U.S. while theborder uncertainty prevails, but shewon't be changing her plans this time around.

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"I'm gonna take my chances, just because changing my flight at this point's gonna cost me a lot of money as well."

With files from CBC Calgary News at 6