I'm glad you had a happy ending .... but your situation is not equivalent to what's happening on the Southern border.
Besides, if worse had come to worse, one short visit, email or call to the US embassy in Canada ... and you're home.
That's the difference between Canada and Mexico right there. That short call to the State Department will get you thrown into the deepest, darkest cell in the Mexican Prison because every bureaucrat from top to bottom will use "the American" prisoner to prove their machismo. Experts who deal with Mexico on a regular basis tell people, "Dont get the State Department involved."
It's the surest way to turn a minor infraction into a year-long (or more) stay.
Bottom line: Canada and Canadians may not like us much, but they're first-world. Mexico on south is one giant third-world shithole, with a justice system to match. I used to travel to the border towns, and cruise the Mexican Riviera, but those days are gone for good. If the cartels don't get you, the Federales will.
