Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to immediately address mounting problems contributing to inefficient management of the border between the United States and Canada.
"Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security have to commit resources to the Northern border," said Rep. Higgins on Friday. "The fact of the matter is the Northern border is very important to our life quality, and to the economics of this community.
"We went through a pandemic, where cross-border activity was reduced significantly because of mandates by both the U.S. and Canadian federal governments, and we're trying to get back to a sense of normalcy. It is outrageous that you don't have a full complement of Customs and Border Protection agents working at places like the Peace Bridge and the other Northern border crossings in Buffalo and Western New York."
Three major and ongoing issues Higgins points to at the U.S.-Canadian border includes:
1.) Understaffed inspection booths at Northern border Ports of Entry are leading to excessive wait times despite the fact that traffic volumes have not reached pre-pandemic levels
On June 14, 2023 at 4:20 p.m. ET, only 3-of-12 passenger lanes were open, contributing to a one-hour wait time at the Peace Bridge crossing between Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario. This comes as the peak cross-border travel season is just beginning.
"People are recruited for Customs and Border Protection agent services, and then they're detailed to the Southern border without any choice. ... You can't have 12 inspection booths and only three are manned, particularly at this time of year," Higgins said.
2.) An unacceptable backlog of NEXUS applicants remains
NEXUS, a Trusted Traveler Program intended to expedite cross-border crossings by pre-screening travelers, continues to be buried under a massive backlog. Higgins cites as an example, one resident who applied in February of 2023 was told he could expect a NEXUS interview in January of 2024. The CBP website currently lists application processing time between 12-14 months.
"The NEXUS pass process is an absolute mess," Higgins said. "It needs to be reformed, we need to expedite these passes, because they also contribute to wait times when people can't get the passes that they're eligible for. They end up in the lines with, again, only three Customs and Border Protection agents staffing those inspection booths when, in fact, you have 12."
Earlier this year, Higgins introduced the Make NEXUS Work Act, a bill that would allow for virtual NEXUS interviews to help ease and accelerate processing.
3.) Customs and Border Protection officers stationed at the Northern border are being temporarily re-assigned to duty at the Southern border
In addition to pulling necessary personnel from Northern border operations, the mandatory assignments are contributing to poor morale among officers and negatively impacting the ability to recruit new officers.
Higgins says there has been no reasoning given to him or any of the other representatives in Congress as to why agents are being re-assigned to the Southern border in this manner.
The inaction at the Northern border to get back to a sense of normalcy has been a frustrating process for not just Congressman Higgins, but also for the people of Buffalo, Western New York and those across the border in Canada.
"The fact of the matter is, we are not back to pre-pandemic cross-border activity, it's about 85%. When the bridge and the bridge crossing is a hassle, it discourages cross-border activity," Higgins said. "Both the United States and Canada depend on their cross-border activity for our quality of life and also the economy of both countries. So this is unacceptable. Customs and Border Protection needs to respond favorably, and give us a full complement of Customs and Border Protection agents at the Northern border."
Not only is this matter an economic issue between both countries, it also becomes a security issue when more people are waiting longer to gain access across the border. This is especially the case when the summer months have arrived and two major holidays are coming up on both sides of the border.
"When you have cars that are waiting for a long time, that potentially becomes a target for those that would want to do ill to our country. That was a lesson that we learned on 9/11/2001," Higgins said. "The greatest inducement to travel is ease of travel, and we have an obligation to create a situation where travel is easy, it is safe. That's when both the United States and Canada, Western New York and Southern Ontario benefit from our close proximity. There are 120 land ports of entry between the United States and Canada, it's the largest border between two countries - 5,500 miles - and we need to encourage people to make the cross-border experience. When there are significant delays because there's an a full complement of Customs and Border Protection agents, that undermines the viability of travel between the United States in a safe and successful way."
With this being the first summer of restriction-free travel for drivers across both the U.S. and Canadian borders in more than three years, Higgins feels people should be encouraged to travel as much as possible.
"When we are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, that is a sense that we need to do something better," he said. "There's a lot of work to be done. Customs and Border Protection in Washington and Homeland Security have an obligation to this community, have an obligation into the extraordinary tradition of the U.S.-Canadian relationship, to fix this problem and fix it quickly."
