Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Interview With John Fulton

Aired December 22, 2002 - 18:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Can Santa Claus be classified as a threat to national security? Well, he can apparently if he's on a surfboard. This windsurfing Santa admits he crossed into the United States illegally from Canada but he's not all ho, ho, hum about it. In fact, John Fulton wishes his mug shot was taken in his Santa suit.
Joining us live on the telephone right now from Fonthill, Ontario is our surfing Santa himself, John Fulton. Hi John, it looks like U.S. Border Patrol let you go?

VOICE OF JOHN FULTON, SURFING SANTA: Yes, they did a great job. I was very well taken care of and they got me a soft drink and a coffee and warmed me up and took care of all the paperwork and shipped me back to Canada.

LIN: Okay, tell me what you were doing out there.

FULTON: It's my 18th year on the mighty Niagara windsurfing, as windsurfing Santa. I launched from Old Fort Erie, go across to the Buffalo shoreline. I try not to land on the shoreline and make my way back but the weather was just so nice today that I thought I'd do a down-winder.

And I left the old fort and ended up across from Beaver Island area and we got one of those freak phenomenon storms off of Lake Erie that blew some big winds at me and by then I was a little bit out of steam, so I decided to do a couple runs and take refuge on the American side and unaware of the new legislation, I believe new legislation that requires you to call before you land.

LIN: Well, I'm sure you didn't have your cell phone out there on your board.

FULTON: I should have.

LIN: These are the new regulations in regards to homeland security, right, because they took you very seriously. I mean they brought you in. They photographed you. They fingerprinted you.

FULTON: Yes, oh yes. It's an electronic fingerprint so they didn't leave any kind of a smudge on my finger and took a photo. They didn't want the profile shot but they got a big smile out of me and you know what though, I was for a few minutes there I was concerned. I had to sign some documents that stated "You've been arrested because immigration officers believe that you are illegally in the United States" and I really wasn't looking forward to signing that until they added "Subject inadvertently landed in the U.S. while performing Surfing Santa duties."

LIN: And you're not joking. Those are actually the words that they're using on your, I don't know would you call it an arrest warrant, an arrest document?

FULTON: We'll call this Notice of Rights and Request for Disposition. So, I think this is my invoice for or pink slip for getting shipped back to Canada.

LIN: So, do you have to pay a fine or do you have to come back to the United States for court?

FULTON: No. No. This is just I think documentation that shipped out to Washington in the case of, if I may, illegal immigrants and again I had the experience of what it would be like to be an illegal immigrant. But you know what, it was very hospitable. I was very well taken care of and the guys were really great about it, but they were doing their job.

LIN: All right.

FULTON: And it was great to see that our U.S. neighbors are taking homeland security seriously.

LIN: Well, you wonder if anybody as they were heading you back to Canada said sorry about that.

FULTON: Well, the group that I support is (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Resource Association for Teenagers. We're actually throwing a party tomorrow night for 50 homeless teenagers. Homeless teenagers is I think an issue that a lot of people are aware of.

LIN: Well, you got a lot of attention for a good cause. Thank you very much, John Fulton, you have a merry Christmas.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 22, 2002 - 18:27   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Can Santa Claus be classified as a threat to national security? Well, he can apparently if he's on a surfboard. This windsurfing Santa admits he crossed into the United States illegally from Canada but he's not all ho, ho, hum about it. In fact, John Fulton wishes his mug shot was taken in his Santa suit.
Joining us live on the telephone right now from Fonthill, Ontario is our surfing Santa himself, John Fulton. Hi John, it looks like U.S. Border Patrol let you go?

VOICE OF JOHN FULTON, SURFING SANTA: Yes, they did a great job. I was very well taken care of and they got me a soft drink and a coffee and warmed me up and took care of all the paperwork and shipped me back to Canada.

LIN: Okay, tell me what you were doing out there.

FULTON: It's my 18th year on the mighty Niagara windsurfing, as windsurfing Santa. I launched from Old Fort Erie, go across to the Buffalo shoreline. I try not to land on the shoreline and make my way back but the weather was just so nice today that I thought I'd do a down-winder.

And I left the old fort and ended up across from Beaver Island area and we got one of those freak phenomenon storms off of Lake Erie that blew some big winds at me and by then I was a little bit out of steam, so I decided to do a couple runs and take refuge on the American side and unaware of the new legislation, I believe new legislation that requires you to call before you land.

LIN: Well, I'm sure you didn't have your cell phone out there on your board.

FULTON: I should have.

LIN: These are the new regulations in regards to homeland security, right, because they took you very seriously. I mean they brought you in. They photographed you. They fingerprinted you.

FULTON: Yes, oh yes. It's an electronic fingerprint so they didn't leave any kind of a smudge on my finger and took a photo. They didn't want the profile shot but they got a big smile out of me and you know what though, I was for a few minutes there I was concerned. I had to sign some documents that stated "You've been arrested because immigration officers believe that you are illegally in the United States" and I really wasn't looking forward to signing that until they added "Subject inadvertently landed in the U.S. while performing Surfing Santa duties."

LIN: And you're not joking. Those are actually the words that they're using on your, I don't know would you call it an arrest warrant, an arrest document?

FULTON: We'll call this Notice of Rights and Request for Disposition. So, I think this is my invoice for or pink slip for getting shipped back to Canada.

LIN: So, do you have to pay a fine or do you have to come back to the United States for court?

FULTON: No. No. This is just I think documentation that shipped out to Washington in the case of, if I may, illegal immigrants and again I had the experience of what it would be like to be an illegal immigrant. But you know what, it was very hospitable. I was very well taken care of and the guys were really great about it, but they were doing their job.

LIN: All right.

FULTON: And it was great to see that our U.S. neighbors are taking homeland security seriously.

LIN: Well, you wonder if anybody as they were heading you back to Canada said sorry about that.

FULTON: Well, the group that I support is (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Resource Association for Teenagers. We're actually throwing a party tomorrow night for 50 homeless teenagers. Homeless teenagers is I think an issue that a lot of people are aware of.

LIN: Well, you got a lot of attention for a good cause. Thank you very much, John Fulton, you have a merry Christmas.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com