Gwich’in man faces Indigenous status scrutiny at US airport – Cabin Radio
January 28, 2026
A Gwich’in man from Inuvik says he barely made his flight back to Canada after border officers at a US airport required further documentation of his Indigenous status.
Harley Minakis said he recently travelled to Costa Rica with his wife and two children to attend his eldest daughter’s wedding. On their way back to Canada, Minakis and his family were trying to catch a connecting flight to Toronto through Houston, Texas, when he said he was stopped by US border agents.
“They picked me out of the line and took me to a separate room,” he said.
