When I fly I always like to arrive early because you never know what's going to happen between entering the airport and actually boarding the plane - that is assuming you make it that far.

One day I was flying to Chicago, this was a regular trip for me and since I've been doing it every couple of weeks without having a problem I began to slack off in being early. I enter the airport and check in and then head to the US customs at the Toronto Pearson airport, but this time I wasn't allowed to cross the border at the time. Instead they pulled me aside and stuck me in the waiting room where it was pretty empty so I thought to myself that it would be rather quick. Other people eventually came in and the US immigration officials took them right in while I just had to sit there.

I heard the boarding call for my plane being announced and approached one of the officials saying that I heard the boarding call for my plane and I was told rudely "you're not going anywhere". This whole waiting process would drag on for at least another eight hours where people would come in, be interviewed, but I'd just have to still sit there. I felt as if I was loosing my mind and did my best to keep a cool head as difficult as it was. A couple more hours later this woman comes up and says that they're ready to see me now. So I get up and head into the interview room and sit down and she begins asking questions as to the reasons for my visit.

I explained I was only going there for a few days because I'm working on a project in Canada and need to see my team in Chicago, but I was going to be flying back and showed her my printed out itinerary. She gets up and leaves the room and goes to talk to another official and I can see them both staring at me through the window. Now, both of them come in and talk to me.

The woman comes and takes her seat while the guy she was talking to interrogates me for about an hour. Blaming me for taking jobs away from Americans, how I should be ashamed of myself, then suggesting I don't have all the correct documentation and I might have to be held for questioning or at least denied access to the US. I was basically made to feel like a piece of shit and mentioned that if they allow me entry, I would be put on the list of illegal aliens awaiting deportation proceedings in Buffalo. They both left the room outside of my view and maybe another twenty or thirty minutes later only the woman came back and handed me my documents and said I was free to go.

Finally!

I get out and the first thing I do is head to the airline booth to find that I missed the last flight to Chicago and I'd now have to wait until the morning for the next flight. Essentially, I was jerked around intentionally all day for no good reason because US Immigration felt like it.