Checkpoints by U.S. border patrol raise concerns amid drop in Canadian visitors
U.S. residents worry checks will further deter Canadians, as B.C. traffic plummets 51% at 2 major crossings
U.S. border patrol officers have been setting up extra checkpoints near crossings between the U.S. and Metro Vancouver.
In an unusual scene, vehicles in the U.S. that are heading north to Canada through the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings are sometimes being stopped by U.S. border patrol before they leave the country and arrive at Canadian customs. In some cases, it has added hours to crossing times.
"They stopped and they asked us to open everything up," said David Crosby, a U.S. resident who crossed into British Columbia on Tuesday in his vehicle.
Crosby said U.S. officials asked him about when he would be returning to the U.S. and whether he'd be bringing anything back with him. This, he said, gave him the impression they were looking to catch people with plans of smuggling.
The added checkpoints come as fewer Canadians travel to the U.S., with many citing President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats of making Canada the 51st state as their reasons. April saw a 51 per cent drop in cars with B.C. licence plates heading into the U.S. from southwest B.C. compared to the same month last year.
National security mission
CBC News first started hearing from readers about the checkpoints late last week, and the mayor of Blaine, Wash., said she saw the checkpoints in action over the weekend.
"I went and watched on Saturday and they were stopping every fourth car, looking in the trunk, looking in the backseat and letting them go," said Mayor Mary Lou Steward.
"I didn't see anyone getting hauled out of their car."
Steward said she's tried to figure out why it's happening but "drew a blank" after she reached out to U.S. border officials.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection only told CBC News that, as part of its national security mission, it "routinely conducts inspections on outbound traffic" in order to apprehend "wanted individuals" and to seize "a variety of contraband."
One frequent border crosser told CBC that she's been stopped several times over the past few days and sometimes there are sniffer dogs at the checkpoints.
Added deterrence
U.S. immigration lawyer Len Saunders — who works in Blaine — said these types of checkpoints are typically put in place during a crisis such as an amber alert or when there's a criminal on the run.
"What's new is that they're doing them every single day, which I've never seen," he said.
Saunders worries the added step at the border could deter more Canadians from travelling to the U.S.
"When Canadians hear they're doing these outbound checks and they're taking not minutes but hours, nobody is going to come down here," he said.
Local businesses and local governments of border towns rely on revenue and sales tax from Canadian shoppers.
Blaine's municipal government relies on sales tax as one of its main sources of revenue.
Mayor Steward said the drop in Canadian visitors could pose a real problem for the town's government services.
"This is going to impact how we are able to provide services to our people," she said.
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With files from Jon Hernandez and Justin McElroy