VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - A freelance reporter from Chicago coming to cover Olympic-related stories in Vancouver claims he was denied entry to Canada following hours of interrogation at YVR. The man says border guards felt he was a security threat.
Martin Macias Jr. says he arrived at the airport Saturday morning, but adds he was hauled away for nearly seven hours. "They were particularly interested in my recorder and microphone, and looking through my contacts to see what contacts I had."
Macias Jr. was a member of "No Games Chicago" -- that city's opposition movement to the 2016 Summer Games. "I said 'OK -- I'm ready to be transparent about that -- and tell them whatever they want to know. That wasn't the case. It never came up. They didn't care about that."
He claims he was grilled by RCMP and border guards about his plans during the Games and was ultimately denied entry and put on an Alaska Airlines flight to Sea-Tac Airport.
He says just before he was sent back to Seattle, he was approached by two Mounties. "In a very nice way, very friendly, trying to coax me into some kind of conversation where I would reveal something about destruction to property in Vancouver. They were concerned that I would possibly be partaking in a protest or some kind of rally."
Macias Jr. says he has no criminal record and made no plans to protest, explaining he can't figure out why he was deemed a threat. "The fact I have no criminal record -- I've never been involved in any violent rallies. I'm a student, I work part time as a radio-journalist. I have no kind of background that would justify this claim."
He's at least the second American journalist wanting to cover the Games to run into trouble with border guards. Last year reporter Amy Goodman was questioned as she tried to enter Canada.