Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Stefanik, Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus, co-led a letter with Rep. Higgins (D-NY) to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), requesting that CBP and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) address staffing and resource shortages at the Northern Border.
In the letter, the lawmakers state, “Excessive delays for travelers cannot continue as we are in the busy summer travel season. CBP must always properly staff our Northern Border ports of entry in order to ensure border crossings are as seamless as possible for both our constituents and our Canadian neighbors to the North. We strongly urge that you maintain requisite resources at the Northern Border to allow for its proper functioning.”
"It's frustrating that we have succeeded in restoring Canadian visitation at our Champlain border crossing to a level of 92% of pre-pandemic 2019 numbers but then are confronting them with long wait times," states Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. "While everyone can appreciate the staffing demands at the southern border, we cannot sacrifice the flow of legitimate travel and commerce at our northern border, robbing Peter to pay Paul. We need full staffing at the Canadian border and adequate resources to complete the important mission of restoring full and normal cross border travel and business connections. We thank Congresswoman Stefanik and Congressman Higgins for their solidarity and advocacy."
Stefanik and Higgins explain that inspection booths at Northern Border Ports of Entry are understaffed, and they have received reports of only two out of twelve regular inspection lanes being closed at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York. They also state that at the border crossing between Champlain, New York and St. Bernard de Lacolle, Quebec, wait times have tripled, on average, and some days, waits can be over two hours long. The lawmakers explain that long waits dissuade travelers from crossing the border, stifle economic activity, and cause undue harm to our border communities.
As a co-chair of the Northern Border Caucus, Congresswoman Stefanik has continually called on CBP to ensure resources and proper staffing levels are maintained at the Northern Border.
Read the full letter here.
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