That's sad.

Border staff often have a set of rules they have to follow, a lot of it is to ward off attempts at illegal migration.

Getting into America or Canada via that border is rather common.

When I was at the Canadian border once, a woman from Jamaica, with a carload of luggage was denied entry essentially on the same basis - no proof of return travel, reservations etc. - they essentially suspected she was trying to gain illegal status. Which is not entirely unreasonable in that case, but even then, tricky.

The rough part is how normal folks get caught up in the policies.

The one about dope is particularly pernicious - if you admit to 'having ever smoked dope' to American border agents - they can deny you entry for quite a long time. That one's a little crazy-crazy if you ask me, just a bad policy.

I didn't get a good feeling from your comment's contrast between "a woman from Jamaica" and "normal folks".

Surely being from Jamaica is a thing that normal folks do, if that's where they're from.

A) At the Canadian / American physical border crossing, you get mostly Canadians and Americans, not other nationalities.

B) A lone Jamaican, with a car full of luggage

C) No travel reservations

D) Jamaica is a poor country, likely higher rates of immigration issues.

These are red flags.

The 'border game' is a game of probabilities.

Per your last comment, you'd likely hit a three year or ten year bar. If they determine that you ever lied to them about anything, they can bar you from entering the country for life.

My spouse always had to provide my address to customs when he flew in to see me. Without that and a return trip booked, he'd be denied entry. This isn't only the US, however.

When I moved to Norway from the US, I had to have a return flight booked to get entry into the country the first time, otherwise there is a chance of being denied entry, which can really ruin your chances for immigration.

This isn't that uncommon. I nearly had this happen to me traveling to Europe years ago. I wasn't sure where I was going to stay and didn't book a hotel. It was a problem at customs. I believe the same can be true if you don't book a return flight.