Blocked At The Border: Canadians Can't Fix Sandy-Wrecked N.J. Homes

A Canadian church group that wants to fix New Jersey homes hurt by Superstorm Sandy reportedly was turned away at the border this week by the Trump administration.

The 12-person group from the Rehoboth United Reformed Church in Hamilton, Ontario were told by a border patrol agent on Saturday that they could be doing work that "takes away American jobs," Erik Hoeksema, the church's outreach director, told The Record.

“We tried to tell them we are volunteers. We are not taking American jobs and we are just trying to help out people in New Jersey,” Hoeksema said in an interview with the newspaper. The group was supposed to be hosted by a church in Highland Park.

Dave Long, a public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Buffalo, N.Y. reportedly said the group lacked proper documentation to enter the country. Groups doing humanitarian work need a government letter and one from the sponsoring organization.

While President Donald Trump has ordered a crackdown on illegal immigration at the borders, Long told The Record that the requirement has been in place for years and is not linked to Trump’s new immigration orders, Long said.

The Reformed Church of Highland Park, which planned to host the group, sent a letter to the federal government saying they were going to join the 3,000 volunteers who have helped 200 families get back into homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy, according to The Guardian.

When the feds didn't immediately reverse their decision, the Highland Park church sent a second letter, explaining that mission groups who travel to New Jersey carry out team building, tour programs that range from food pantries and thrift shops and assist with neighborhood cleanup projects, according to the report.

But nearly five years after Sandy hit the region, the need to carry out relief work was questioned, according to the report. “We were told that when there is an immediate need, volunteer groups usually are granted entrance,” said Hoeksema.

The group, all of whom were carrying Canadian passports and had traveled to the U.S. before with no incident, was ultimately denied entry, according to the report. Hoeksema said: “This was interpreted as ‘work for hire’ and since we are foreigners, this would be stealing American jobs.”

Patch file photo