Paige Adamson, a 61-year-old Canadian citizen who has lived in Point Roberts, Washington, as a U.S. permanent resident for 14 years, was stopped at the Point Roberts border crossing on Sept. 15 and asked, "Have you ever voted in a federal U.S. election?" Adamson told the agent she had never voted in a federal election and was sent to secondary inspection, where she said she was interrogated just after 9 p.m. until after 2 a.m., signed paperwork and was admitted. Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by CBC allege Adamson falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register to vote in Whatcom County and that she voted in Washington state’s 2018 general election; one document states she "must surrender for removal from the United States, if so ordered." Adamson told investigators she does not remember voting in a state election though she acknowledged receiving a ballot and that she may have been registered. Immigration lawyer Len Saunders said he has taken calls from three people, including Adamson, in the past week and a half about similar border voting questions, and warned the cases are unprecedented in his 25-year career. B.C. immigration lawyer Chris Anders said border enforcement and the databases used by officials are "way, way stricter and tougher" than in past decades, and internal Washington Department of Licensing records obtained by a nonprofit show instances where non-citizens were registered to vote despite the state saying its automatic registration is tied to proof of U.S. citizenship. Adamson is scheduled to appear at a hearing in Seattle and faces possible removal from the state where she has lived since 2012.
