Political science Professor Robert Latham, director of the York Centre for International and Security Studies, says that while American security has gone to great efforts to be welcoming to visitors, most everyone is subject to a “culture” of distrust and suspicion, wrote the Toronto Star online Oct. 8:

“The question becomes at what point does any given individual weigh the cost of the experience against the benefit of the visit,” says Latham, adding that several factors, including the training and experience of the border guards, can impact the experience for an individual.

Latham said he is against the aggressive approach to security and believes it is possible to stop the few bad apples without alienating the majority of good people.

“We know the percentages are very, very low of people who are up to no good, creating some kind of deception in order to commit a crime or engage in terrorism,” says Latham. “So the question becomes what does the ‘culture’ of mistrust get you if you end up alienating a large number of people who are only interested in vacation, visiting family, or engaging in legitimate business.”

Republished courtesy of YFile– York University’s daily e-bulletin