My name is Monica, I am Onkwehonwe and I live in Akwesasne (Kawehno:ke aka Cornwall Island portion). Others often refer to Onkwehonwe around Akwesasne, as ‘Indian’ or ‘Mohawk’ or ‘First Nation, Aboriginal, Indigenous, Iroquois, Haudenosaunee, Native’.  On days that I choose to leave or return to my home, I am forced to make a decision about how I will accomplish that. Will I take a right turn or a left turn? What are my chances of returning home safely, peacefully, and intact?

Either way I turn to leave or return to my home, I must beep my closest friends and family to let them know the exact time that I make the turn and which way I will turn. I never know when or if any border agents, police, troopers, military, union agencies, or corporations (Seaway, Gas, Telus) are going to decide to barricade our roads and bridges. Each time they decided to barricade our roads, bridges, and imprison all Onkwehonwe onto our tiny island this year, they usually laughed as they told me that the ‘Mohawks of Akwesasne’ have no human rights with them. Other days they would frown, bark orders at me, and demand that I submit to all of their commands. Other days, they threatened to take my cameras away from me.

One night, this past summer (2009), a female NY State Trooper, actually crept up to my vehicle with her hand on her gun, as if she was terrified my vehicle would blow up on her. I had to put both my hands up in the air and loudly say hello so that she could at least hear a human being’s voice, coming from inside my vehicle. I have to say that I was alarmed that she might just start shooting me, simply because I was just trying to return to my home after purchasing a few bottles of water.

If I take a left turn, I must prepare myself mentally and remind myself of The Great Law. Based on how the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) union agents have treated myself, my friends, and family for the past 50+ years, I know that I can be the next unfortunate traveler.

At any time, a traveler may be unfortunate to be forced to deal with a miserable CBSA union agent. Not every CBSA union agent is the same, but we seem to have a clique of CBSA agents around Akwesasne, that have a very long history of dealing out abuse, harm, and threats towards innocent travelers.

Why is CBSA is stealing vehicles from Akwesasne?
In October 2009, CBSA union agents started stealing vehicles from anyone they know that lives in Akwesasne. CBSA then demands a $1000.00 or more ransom, to be paid by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, before they will return the stolen vehicle or even show the paperwork about why they stole the vehicles. CBSA union agents have stolen the same vehicle from the same individuals, while laughing in the vehicle owners’ faces on occasion.  CBSA continues to steal vehicles from Akwesasne, even today.

Has your vehicle been stolen by border agents?

How  is CBSA forcing more than $30,000.00 per day from working class people in Akwesasne?
On some days, CBSA collects more than $30,000.00 from the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sons, daughters, and good innocent working-class people that live in Akwesasne.  Some of the people, refuse to allow MCA (Mohawk Council of Akwesasne) to pay the ransom for them, because they do not want the MCA to represent them as Onkwehonwe.  Some of the people, empty their life savings to pay the ransom.  Others take out personal loans to pay the ransom to CBSA.  Others in Akwesasne, go to the roads and beg for dollars, hoping that 1000 or more travelers will be able to spare a dollar, so that they can get their vehicle back and get their own children to school safely.

Why does CBSA want Akwesasne and Indians put under Marhall Law?
CBSA union agents laugh at the Mohawks of Akwesasne and try to escalate the bully game.  On a few occasions, this past summer of 2009, they have been overheard laughing and urging their angry victims to go beg for dollars, shut down their own bridges in Akwesasne,, so that all the Indians could be put under Marshall Law.

Have you ever had a border agent make threats about martial law for your own community?

Why is CBSA calling the Mohawks of Akwesasne, Immigrants and Refugees?
Sometimes when CBSA union agents recognize us, as being from Akwesasne, they scowl at us and demand that we go in another building to be interrogated. Other days, the CBSA union agents, will shut their booth window and get on their phone when they recognize our faces as being from Akwesasne. After they talk on the phone, they usually demand that we go to another CBSA trailer to be interrogated. Sometimes they hide their faces and their badge numbers from my cameras, when they say and do things that are abusive towards us and break their own laws, mandates, and policies.

When we are forced to go to another CBSA trailer, their are usually another set of CBSA union agents that interrogate us. The scrutinize our identification cards, passports, status card, drivers licenses or whatever identification we may be carrying. When I ask them why they are interroogating me, they angrily state that they are following the ‘Immigration and Refugee Act’ or the “Immigration and Refugee Protection Act’. When I tell them that Onkwehonwe and Indians are absolutely not ‘Immigrants’, nor are we “Refugees’, they usually scowl, laugh at me, or start behaving even more bizarre towards me.

Have you ever been forced to prove that you are not an immigrant or refugee, after you showed your identification to a border agent?

Why and Where do CBSA agents deport Indians too?
Usually as I deal with each incident with CBSA, I end up hearing about at least 5 more stories about other Onkwehonwe, Indians, Mohawks, Aboriginals, Indiginous, and First Nations individuals that were kidnapped, driven far away from their home, and dropped off at another border agency location. When CBSA union agents drop them off in the middle of nowhere, far away from their homes, they are left to fend for themselves and who knows if all of them ever make it back to safety? I am sad to think about any young travelers that are not able to afford the basics of personal safety. A cell phone along the border towns is an outrageous bill, that many working class people are not able to afford.

Are you an Indian that was deported from your own home? If yes, where did the border agents deport you too?

Lessons Learned about living around corporation borders.

• Do not travel alone around the borders.  Some border agents have a nasty habit of falsely accusing travelers of various crimes.  Some border agents are very nice,  but the few that are nasty, have really created serious safety hazards for all Onkwehonwe and travelers.
• Contact at least one friend or family member before you leave for your destination, during the route to your destination, and when you arrive at your destination.
• Always keep an audio recorder on and recording when you are forced to deal with border agents.
• Keep  your camera / video camera recording when you are forced to deal with border agents.  Be sure to not put yourself or your camera in a position that can be considered ‘hindering an officer of performing his duties.’  Keep a safe distance away, do not point the camera at the officer’s computer keyboard if present.
• If  you must travel alone, listen to happy peaceful music or audio that helps you maintain a peaceful happy mind.  I know it sounds silly, but some of the nastiest border agents around here, seem to pickup on any travelers that are having a moment of weakness (anger, fear, anxiety).  Do not risk your safety, by putting yourself in a situation where angry bully border agents may decide to take their misery out on you.
• When you are in a group setting, keep your cameras and audio recording and pointed at others in your group as they deal with border agents.  Be sure that your fellow travelers also point their cameras at you while you document the event.  Cameras seem to help everyone to remember to act with their best behavior.  Remember to stay calm and focused on remaining peaceful, calm, and safe.  Do all you can to De-escalate any incidents involving angry, frightened, anxious, border agents.
• If you notice CBSA border agents putting on black leather gloves and covering up their own security cameras, make sure you loudly point out that more cameras are still pointing at the officers from outside your small group that the CBSA union agents are focusing on.  When CBSA union agents realize that cameras are still recording their actions, they tend to stop threatening, making up false accusations, and often will stop their attack right their.  **  if you notice CBSA union agent is loudly verbally stating something that totally contradicts what is going on, quickly loudly let that CBSA union agent know that their are still more cameras on the incident.
• Cameras, Video Cameras, and Audio recorders can be setup to automatically upload incidents to the internet and other servers.  You need to learn how to do that for yourself if you are traveling around the borders.  You can contact me around Akwesasne, if you need some help to learn how to document the events in your life around Akwesasne.

I often wonder why some of the border agents consistently try to escalate a simple grocery shopping trip into a national security incident.  I may never understand why any border agent would choose to go into a career field that they so obviously hate so much.  I must say that if it were not for the friendly, honest, and professional border agents, I may never be able to enjoy the benefits of simple basic human rights around Akwesasne.