SEATTLE -- A radio journalist from Chicago found himself stranded in Seattle after Canadian authorities deported him. And Martin Macias says he believes it's because he happens to be an anti-Olympic activist.
"Their main concern was, 'What kind of protest do you know about that's going to be causing to the game themselves?'" he said.
Macias, 20, and a friend flew into Vancouver from Chicago on Saturday, he said, to attend a conference by the Olympic Resistance Network. The group attempts to highlight social issues, including aspects of poverty and environmentalism, that they believe the Olympic games ignores.
Macias said his friend was allowed entry, but after he identified himself as a radio journalist, security officers pulled him aside and questioned him for 2 to 3 hours, he said.
He said after they found a phone number for the conference scrawled on a piece of paper in his luggage, they asked him to admit what he knew "...that could have informed them about this protest that could possibly have caused destruction in Vancouver somehow, or stop the games, or do something to the Olympics," Macias said.
Macias said he was forced to pay for a plane to Seattle, and has been staying in a hotel.
"Never been here before, didn't know where I was going to stay, what I was going to eat," he said.
Macias himself is an a known anti-Olympic activist who actively protested the city of Chicago's bid for the Summer Olympics. But he denies knowing anything about planned violence at the games, and said he was planning to leave two days before the games even begin.
As the opening ceremonies near, more and more anti-Olympic protestors are taking to the streets of Vancouver, including some who've implied plans to disrupt the games.
Macias said he plans to formally protest his deportation on the grounds that officers used unethical tactics when questioning him.
Canadian border officials say for privacy reasons they will not discuss specific cases. But they say their policies on admission into the country are not changing during the upcoming Winter Olympics.
"All persons seeking entry or re-entry into Canada must report to the CBSA and may be subject to a more in-depth examination," read a statement by the Canadian Border Services Agency. "Admissibility of all travellers seeking to enter or re-enter Canada is considered on a case-by-case basis on the specific facts presented by the applicant in each case at the time of entry."
"Several factors are used in determining admissibility into Canada, including; involvement in criminal activity, in human rights violations, in organized crime, security, health or financial reasons.
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