Federal lawmakers push for northern border action

WASHINGTON, D.C. | U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik has joined Minnesota lawmakers in again opposing the continued northern border travel restrictions and to call for the Department of Homeland Security to provide Congress with a plan for the eventual reopening. The Sept. 28 letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas came roughly a week after the Biden Administration extended land travel restrictions through Oct. 21 with no announcement of reopening progress or plans. Saying the latest extension came at the expense of northern families, tourism and small businesses, Stefanik said the Biden Administration should at least put plans in place for reopening "so life in border communities can resume without additional delay." "This prolonged closure has been devastating for our region, and the residents of the North Country deserve no further delay," Stefanik said Stefanik joined Representatives Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) and Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) in sending the letter to advocate for northern border communities hit hard by the extended restrictions. The letter follows a series of other efforts to push for restored travel, including Stefanik's June introduction of the Restoring Northern Border Travel Act, which would expand the current categories of permitted travel into the U.S. That measure would also require details of Homeland Security's current plans for restored travel and lawmakers again this week called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to bring that legislation to the Senate floor for a vote in light of the continued extensions. The letter to Secretary Mayorkas read in full as follows: As you know, President Biden has decided to extend the closure of land borders until, at the earliest, October 21, a decision that we do not support. In the hope that a reopening will occur promptly on or immediately after this date, we request an immediate report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to Congress with a plan for operationalizing new border procedures. As Representatives from northern border states, we are especially concerned about the situation along the United States-Canada border. Currently, Customs and Border Protection does not appear to have a plan in place to execute a safe reopening without causing tremendous delays at land ports of entry (LPOE). This is a major problem for members of the commercial trade sector, who need to know whether DHS will assign appropriate resources to maintain adequate levels of security and efficiency so that all LPOEs can operate successfully. However, this issue impacts all Americans, not just those directly engaged in the cross-border trade in goods, which totaled nearly $720 billion in 2019. The movement of people, for tourism or other forms of discretionary travel, is also a major economic driver. Ninety percent of the Canadian population lives within one hundred miles of the border, making our country Canada's largest inbound travel market. In 2018 alone, there were 21.5 million overnight arrivals from Canada, roughly half of which crossed a land border, and each Canadian visitor spent an average of $980 while in the United States. The economic and social costs of the land border restrictions grow every day they remain in place, delaying the usual $1.7 billion in products that cross the U.S-Canada border daily and preventing nearly all non-essential travel. Any further delays at LPOE checkpoints upon reopening will only continue to further harm those who have already suffered over the past 16 months – including not just the business community, but also those who have been unable to visit friends, family, and loved ones for far too long. We urge your office to move quickly on this important matter and stand ready to assist your efforts in any way possible.

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Federal lawmakers push for northern border action

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