The southern border has seen a surge of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico, which has caused U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to divert a number of officers away from the northern border.
Officers from northern border airports, highway crossings and marine terminals have been reassigned to deal with the added demand. Approximately, 545 officers were temporarily reassigned to help with processing migrants, with potentially 120 more to be reassigned in April.
In a recent discussion with a number of industry stakeholders – including CTA staff in Washington, D.C. – senior level CBP officials described the migrant movement as a “major issue” and something that was “unprecedented” from a CBP perspective. CBP stated it was important to mitigate the impact of the diversion of officers on border wait times, and its potential effect on Canada/U.S. trade. CBP also stated that they are doing their best to facilitate trade by redirecting resources where needed most.
There has been some concern from members regarding wait times, and how a shortage of CBP officers could impact northern border operations and efficiency. CTA is seeking feedback from members who are experiencing abnormally long wait times moving southbound. Members can forward their comments, including POE location to lak.shoan@ontruck.org.
CBP continues to hold weekly calls to update stakeholders on operational impacts and changes that may be occurring at the southern border. CTA will continue to monitor the situation and update members of any additional information when it becomes available.