Disabled Woman Denied Entrance To US Due To Private Medical Records

NobleSavage · Post by **NobleSavage** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 8:31 pm

Ellen Richardson went to Pearson airport on Monday full of joy about flying to New York City and from there going on a 10-day Caribbean cruise for which sheâd paid about $6,000.

But a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent with the Department of Homeland Security killed that dream when he denied her entry.

âI was turned away, I was told, because I had a hospitalization in the summer of 2012 for clinical depression,ââ said Richardson, who is a paraplegic and set up her cruise in collaboration with a March of Dimes group of about 12 others.

The Weston woman was told by the U.S. agent she would have to get âmedical clearanceââ and be examined by one of only three doctors in Toronto whose assessments are accepted by Homeland Security. She was given their names and told a call to her psychiatrist âwould not suffice.ââ

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/11 ... ails.html#

Loren Pechtel · Post by **Loren Pechtel** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:06 pm

She has three suicide attempts, including one by jumping. I can understand CBP feeling she's a problem--jumpers sometimes land on someone.

Nice Squirrel · Post by **Nice Squirrel** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:13 pm

Somehow her records got out.

Frikki · Post by **Frikki** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 10:28 pm

[quote=""Loren Pechtel""]She has three suicide attempts, including one by jumping. I can understand CBP feeling she's a problem--jumpers sometimes land on someone.[/quote]

Moderate libertarian.

TV and credit cards · Post by **TV and credit cards** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 10:32 pm

Maybe there really is a monster under my bed.

laughing dog · Post by **laughing dog** » Sun Dec 01, 2013 10:43 pm

[quote=""Frikki""]

Loren Pechtel;7592360 wrote:She has three suicide attempts, including one by jumping. I can understand CBP feeling she's a problem--jumpers sometimes land on someone.

Moderate libertarian.[/QUOTE] How does a paraplegic jump?

credoconsolans · Post by **credoconsolans** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 2:36 am

[quote=""Loren Pechtel""]She has three suicide attempts, including one by jumping. I can understand CBP feeling she's a problem--jumpers sometimes land on someone.[/quote]

[quote=""Nice Squirrel""]Somehow her records got out.[/quote]

If her actions were sufficient enough to warrant a police report it becomes public record.

I understand, too, how the CBP would be worried. A cruise is the perfect place for a jumper as it has been shown in the past.

Loren Pechtel · Post by **Loren Pechtel** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 3:48 am

[quote=""credoconsolans""]

Loren Pechtel;7592360 wrote:She has three suicide attempts, including one by jumping. I can understand CBP feeling she's a problem--jumpers sometimes land on someone.

[quote=""Nice Squirrel""]Somehow her records got out.[/quote]

If her actions were sufficient enough to warrant a police report it becomes public record.[/quote]

The suicide attempts would be a public record, the hospitalization wouldn't have been. When this came up on another board someone suggested that perhaps she's on some sort of mental illness watch list and that's how CBP knew.

I understand, too, how the CBP would be worried. A cruise is the perfect place for a jumper as it has been shown in the past.

At least that wouldn't be likely to kill anyone but it would still mean a lot of resources expended on S&R.

All too often suicides don't think of what will happen to others, I don't have a problem with CBP keeping out suicidal individuals. (And the ones that are careful about others aren't likely to be people who have tried it three times and failed.)

Toto · Post by **Toto** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:08 am

This is what probably happened:

Canadian 911 calls are public records

According to diplomatic cables released earlier this year by WikiLeaks, any information entered into the national Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database is accessible to American authorities.

Local police officers take notes whenever they apprehend an individual or respond to a 911 call, and some of this information is then entered into the CPIC database, says Stylianos. He says that occasionally this can include non-violent mental health incidents in which police are involved.

....

Loren Pechtel · Post by **Loren Pechtel** » Mon Dec 02, 2013 5:35 am

[quote=""Toto""]This is what probably happened:

Canadian 911 calls are public records

According to diplomatic cables released earlier this year by WikiLeaks, any information entered into the national Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database is accessible to American authorities.

Local police officers take notes whenever they apprehend an individual or respond to a 911 call, and some of this information is then entered into the CPIC database, says Stylianos. He says that occasionally this can include non-violent mental health incidents in which police are involved.

....

[/QUOTE]

Except that doesn't explain how they knew of her 2012 psych admission. Perhaps she's not telling the whole story and it was actually the police that put her there.

(This sort of thing plagues the reporting of medical cases--the person can make up all sorts of stories and the authorities can't defend themselves in the press because of medical confidentiality.)