Weird reason author wasn't let into Canada is still a headache decades later

John Green, author of Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars, recently took to TikTok to share the bizarre reason he wasn’t let into Canada and how it’s still giving him grief decades later.

In the humorous video, the author details how he and his friend were stopped at the Canadian border on a day trip in 1995. The reason for stopping them? Insufficient funds.

Yes, apparently that’s a thing.

@literallyjohngreen Reply to @bookishbrittany ♬ original sound – John Green

With only “$42 in cash, a loaf of bread and peanut butter and a two-litre bottle with root beer” and no credit cards handy, Green was denied entry at the Detroit border.

Who knew that could happen?

What’s even more wild is that it’s still an issue for him today.

Green went on to explain that this one incident led to him being put on a list that has resulted in him being “placed inside of a windowless room and interrogated by extremely polite border guards” every time he tries to cross the border.

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It’s safe to say that the best-selling author is not quite as broke as he was in 1995.

Apparently, border control recognizes this too. Green recounted one interaction where he rolled up in a tour bus with his name plastered across the side and the border officer noted, “Your circumstances changed.”

Green followed this interaction by fairly questioning if he can be taken off the “magical list” now that he’s clearly in a much better financial position. The response?

“Mr. Green, you’re gonna die with that list.”

According to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), “previous enforcement actions or withdrawals from Canada are a matter of record and do not expire after a certain length of time.”

While the author can laugh about the annoying effects his initial incident created, let’s all take this as a lesson in checking travel requirements before we hit border control.