A Richmond resident is hitting out at the Canadian Border Services Agency for being 鈥渋nterrogated鈥� after returning on a flight from Las Vegas.
Kamilla Fa says she was subjected to 90 minutes of humiliating questioning in a private room at YVR because she declared around $14,000 of winnings gifted to her from her Chinese national boyfriend, who she met up with in Las Vegas.
After arriving at the airport around midnight on Monday, Fa, 32, claims various female border guards refused to believe how she got the money, despite it being wrapped in casino tape and in a casino envelope.
And, according to Fa 鈥� a well-travelled, self-employed graphic designer - the guards refused to believe she even had a boyfriend, before confiscating her phone.
All the while, her mother, Mila Vagabova, was outside waiting to pick her up and had no idea what was going on inside.
鈥淭hey continuously asked me where the money came from; they didn鈥檛 believe my response. They said I was lying to them,鈥� Fa, a Canadian citizen, told the Richmond News.
鈥淭hey were trying to catch me lying and told me many times to my face that I was liar. They demanded I tell them the truth. I filled out a declaration form truthfully. I wasn鈥檛 hiding anything.
鈥淭hey actually refused to believe my boyfriend existed and they wanted proof. They wanted his full name, they wanted to find him in their system, they wanted to know if he came to Canada before. He鈥檚 not Canadian and he doesn鈥檛 live in Canada.鈥�
Fa, who 鈥渇elt scared鈥� during the grilling, said the guards continued to pressure her and demanded to know where her boyfriend of three months got his money to gamble with.
The guards also struggled, added Fa, to accept she had previously met her boyfriend in China, while travelling and studying Chinese.
鈥淭hey wanted to know his job, where his parents live, what his parents do. They wanted to know where, when and how we met,鈥� recalled Fa.
鈥淚 tried to give them as much as I could, but they still weren鈥檛 satisfied and they then confiscated my phone and asked me to unlock it.
鈥淭hey took it away and spent quite a bit of time looking through my phone, looking at pictures and contacts. But there鈥檚 no photos of (Fa and her boyfriend) and it鈥檚 a new phone; there鈥檚 not much on there.
鈥淭hey again told me I was lying and that I don鈥檛 have a boyfriend. I was feeling scared. They went through everything, including my underwear. They said they were looking for evidence of criminal activity.鈥�
At around 1:30 a.m., the border guards gave Fa her phone back, apparently along with a departing sarcastic remark.
鈥淭hey still said I was lying. As I left, one of them said, 鈥榟opefully this boyfriend sticks around,鈥欌�� said Fa, who filed a complaint with the CBSA on Tuesday.
鈥淚 was shaking. I felt I had been harassed because of my lifestyle choices and harassed because of what I do for a living.
鈥淢y work is not 9 to 5. I don鈥檛 have an office job. I have a different lifestyle and I don鈥檛 always live in 麻豆传媒映画with steady employment.
鈥淚 have clients that are not in Canada. I think it was a problem because I鈥檝e been to China many times over the years. They even asked me why I had Chinese friends. I told them I like the culture.
鈥淚t was shocking to me to get asked so many personal questions. I know it鈥檚 difficult for some border guards to understand what I do. It鈥檚 not normal. But it鈥檚 not illegal.鈥�
Vagabova was upset not knowing what happened to her daughter and even angrier after hearing how she was treated.
鈥淪he would have had an easier time if she told a false story. She told the truth and they didn鈥檛 like it,鈥� said Vagabova.
鈥淚 think she has been judged by people with very limited life experience and some very narrow-minded people who have their own ideas about how people should be living their lives.
鈥淭here are billions of dollars getting funneled through money-laundering in B.C. and they come after my daughter with $14,000 of winnings from Vegas?
鈥淪he has money and can travel, that is not a crime. She is a Canadian citizen and shouldn鈥檛 be treated like this.鈥�
Despite the experience, Fa said she will not be deterred from the traveling she has to do.
鈥淚 have business interests in China and will be going back there. I鈥檓 not going to change my plans, as I鈥檓 not doing anything illegal. This is my life choice,鈥� she said.
The News contacted CBSA on Thursday afternoon for comment. About two hours later, Fa received a call from a CBSA supervisor at YVR, apparently apologizing for her treatment.
According to Fa, the supervisor said the guards should have simply accepted the declaration form and passed it onto FINTRAC.
She was told that the guards didn鈥檛 have the right to take her phone away and they shouldn鈥檛 have kept her in for questioning for so long.
鈥淭hey have abused their power,鈥� said Vagabova. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 follow protocol.鈥�
The News has yet to receive comment from the CBSA, although it has acknowledged our request.
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