power abuse???

While trying to meet in New hampshire for a long weekend, my girlfriend tried to cross at the Canadian border and was questioned about a business card in her wallet. The border police called the number on the card and the business owner admitted he hired her last year in Florida for a very short time, paying her approx, $200.00. She was told she could not enter that day and did not completely understand why and she tried again the next day. At that time, she was deported for five years and given a very hard time by the border police, she was intimadited, frightened and crying hysterically. She did not understand and refused to sign the papers and one of the police grabbed her by the wrist trying to get her to sign. What is the penality for such a small offense, and what can be done to rectify the situation.
I don't want to lose my girlfriend and need some advise quickly.
Thank-you in advance for any help

You don't indicate whether or not your girlfriend is a US/Canadian citizen or has a permit to work in the US, a valid visa/passport, etc. Best bet is to contact your local Dept of Immigration and Naturalization when you have specifics on your girlfriend's status in the US. If she previously worked within the US (no matter how small the wages paid) without the proper credentials, I believe that would explain in part why she wasn't allowed back into the US. You can try to ask on her behalf; chances are very good she will need to contact them directly. https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?ac...fice_type=L O may be of some help to you.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

My girlfriend is a Canadian citizen and the prior year did work ($200) without a work permit. She does have a valad passport and was only trying to enter the States for a three day weekend. What I don't understand is that the Saturday she tried and was refused, she was just told to return to Canada, but the next day trying again to enter, they really threw the book at her. Does this sound reasonable??? How long is the process to reverse the ruling?. Her explination of the proceedings made me think it was more like a Kangaroo court. Can five years be
reasonable for such a small infraction???
Thanks

It can be in an era of terrorism where airplanes have been smashed against buildings in the US, over 3000 people died and as a result, both federal and state immigration laws were severely curtailed. At the very least, I believe your girlfriend should contact INS with her questions; depending on how difficult an appeal may become, she may also want to confer with an immigration attorney. Understand this is only a supposition here, but it's very possible that once it was discovered (obviously later) that she'd entered the US without the proper work credentials, she received the mandatory restriction currently prescribed by law. Border guards aren't required to interpret law based on an individual's circumstance; they're simply required to enforce it. If she feels the result is excessive, she can investigate an appeal through the proper channels.