US citizen Robert Joseph Boulé, the 69-year old “Smuggler’s Inn” owner charged with aiding asylum seekers illegally entering into Canada, has been ordered by a Canadian court to put up a warning sign on his property to discourage illegal border crossings.
The sign reads:
“Warning: it is illegal to enter Canada directly from the Smuggler’s Inn property. The owner is bound by a court order to report to Canadian authorities the identity of anyone who enters Canada illegally from this property.”
The sign was erected shortly after Boulé was granted bail by the Canadian court system. Boulé would be free to return to the US after posting a $15,000 deposit and meeting several conditions including the sign which is currently posted on his property.
According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act Boulé faces up to a decade in prison and a $500,000 fine in Canada.
Boulé’s property lies directly adjacent to “0 Ave,” a Surrey BC road which saddles Canada’s border with the US.
According to Boulé’s neighbours who wish to remain anonymous, several people illegally cross from Washington state into Canada every month, some even walking through their own property.
“Often times if RCMP don’t get them before, they have someone that picks them up, possibly a taxi on that side, or family or friends,” said Boulé’s neighbours.
From Boulé’s property and beyond, the US-Canada border is only separated by a ditch and several boulders alongside the Smuggler’s Inn property.
According to Boulé’s neighbours , RCMP and US Border Patrol officers keep an eye on both sides of the border, watching for individuals intent on crossing illegally from either side.
Boulé’s bail involves over one dozen conditions including the requirement that he remove any phone numbers from online advertisements, and that he reports to a bail supervisor twice a month.
Boulé last appeared in a Canadian court on May 6th.
