On the water, the boat can traverse the river at will, as though the border didn’t exist (because of course it doesn’t actually exist). The privilege of tourism can thus erase border mechanics of security entirely, demonstrated as the boat glided back and forth from along Detroit’s waterfront to Windsor’s, right down the river middle at some points, and then back again to Detroit. The river is thus an entirely different kind of border than on land, where fences and guards have hardened the imaginary line into material existence.

–Taien Ng-Chan, Strata-Walking the Detroit River Border with the HPU