New legislation would ease border traffic, federal officials say
Federal officials are trying to cut down on wait times at the U.S.-Canada border. New York’s two U.S. Senators, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy from...
Mar 04, 2016 — Federal officials are trying to cut down on wait times at the U.S.-Canada border. New York’s two U.S. Senators, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont, and other lawmakers along the northern border are co-sponsoring a bill that would set up a new pre-clearance program. It would allow law enforcement agents from both countries to work across the border.
Democratic U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, and officials from Vermont to Alaska are working together to spread the word about the bill.
The lawmakers from New York are focused on passenger trains that cross the border. They said people riding trains like Amtrak’s Adirondack line have to wait for more than an hour while officers check the train. Under the pre-clearance program, passengers would be screened before they get on board.
There would also be pre-clearance stations for people traveling by land, marine, and air. In a statement, Gillibrand said the measure would “boost New York’s economy, especially in the North Country, and preserve our economic links with Canada.” It is also designed to help small border facilities stay open and to keep the border secure.
Officials have been trying to expand pre-clearance for years. There was a major step about a year ago when U.S. and Canadian governments signed an agreement that gave each country’s border patrol agents permission to work across the border. That wouldn’t happen unless Congress turns this bill into law.
