WASHINGTON: A new agreement between the US and Canada is being billed as a way to ease congestion and speed up border crossings.
The preclearance agreement would allow US officials to conduct inspections on Canadian soil and vice versa before allowing people or goods into their country. The agreement was signed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney and announced Monday.
Travelers won’t notice changes right away because the agreement still has to be ratified by Congress. It hasn’t been decided what ports of entry could see changes.
The busiest crossing in North Dakota is at Pembina, which is about an hour north of Grand Forks. About 400,000 people cross the land border between Canada and the U.S. every day, according to the Canadian government.
Canadian visitors have long been seen as a critical part of the Grand Forks area economy, with the local convention and visitors bureau now encouraging businesses to hang posters welcoming them ahead of Manitoba’s spring break starting at the end of this week.
Julie Rygg, executive director of the Greater Grand Forks Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she occasionally hears about long waits at the border during busier days. Her organization’s website links to Customs and Border Protection page showing current wait times at ports of entry. Pembina’s showed no delay for passenger or commercial vehicles Thursday afternoon.
“You do hear about it from time to time but not on an ongoing basis,” Rygg said.
The news was also welcomed by U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.
“Working with our Canadian partners to share resources on new ports of entry and other needed services is a step in the right direction toward enhancing security and eliminating congestion at the border, which can inhibit lawful, cross-border trade,” she said in a statement.
