Thread: Border-crossers face closer scrutiny

Border-crossers face closer scrutiny

Several Web sites provide travelers with information on bridge traffic

By Lou Michel
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: May 28, 2010, 8:42 am / 21 comments
Published: May 28, 2010, 8:19 am

As you gear up for this Memorial Day weekend and a trip into Canada, be prepared for a couple of extra questions and closer scrutiny on both sides of the border.

That's because the threat of terrorism, even on this weekend devoted to remembering those who gave their lives defending the United States, remains a national priority.

Evidence of stepped-up scrutiny for cross-border travelers can be found in the increasing numbers of arrests and detentions on both sides of the U.S-Canadian border. It also might be evident in questions you'll hear at the border: Where do you work? What's your travel itinerary?

That said, the thousands of holiday travelers who start the unofficial kickoff of summer are not expected to experience major difficulties so long as they have the proper documents proving citizenship and identity.

So here is how to get into Canada and back into the United States as quickly and hassle- free as possible:

• Have Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant documents in your possession. They include either a valid passport, passport card, NEXUS card from the federal government's Trusted Traveler Program or an enhanced driver's license.

• Check ahead on wait times at the different bridges to locate the one with the shortest delays.

Even if the bridge with the least traffic is out of your way, there's a good chance you will get across the border more quickly by driving the extra miles and using it. Travelers can obtain information about bridge traffic, including the Peace Bridge, at these Web sites: www.cbp.gov ; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca ; www.nittec.org ; and www.peacebridge.com .

Travelers can obtain current border traffic conditions by calling the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission's toll-free number at (800) 715-6722, then press 2. The commission maintains three of the region's four international spans, the Rainbow Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the Whirlpool-Rapids Bridge, which is mainly set aside for NEXUS card holders.

Information on traffic at those three bridges can also be obtained by visiting the commission's Web site, www.niagarafallsbridges.com .

• Folks returning to the United States should declare any items they purchased while in Canada.

For those who forget or lack proper travel documents, they may still catch a break at the border, if they have other identification, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Kevin A. Corsaro.

"Since we are still in an informed-compliance stage, if a U.S. citizen or Canadian presents proof of citizenship and identity, such as a birth certificate and government-issued ID ... they could be released on the primary line and allowed to proceed," Corsaro said.

If citizenship and identity cannot be established quickly, Customs and Border Protection officers will not inadvertently penalize others waiting in line. "We don't want to punish the people who are compliant with the law by having them wait for people who are not compliant, so those individuals could be referred for a secondary inspection," Corsaro said.

Even with all the advance preparation for a speedy crossing, Corsaro warned that volume sometimes exceeds capacity at the bridges, and travelers can experience waits, though there are plans to open additional inspection lanes when needed.

At the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, known for big delays, two new primary inspection lanes leading into Canada will be opened this holiday weekend and are expected to increase bridge capacity by 33 percent. The two new lanes will remain open through the end of the year.

As for keeping the bridges safe from terrorists and criminals trying to illegally enter the United States, authorities say there is a growing recognition among travelers that proper documents are required.

In Erie County, 88,000 enhanced driver's licenses have been issued in the nearly two years since they became available. "In one day, we did 699 enhanced driver's licenses, which is more than 27 other counties have done in the state since the beginning," Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul said, "so we are way ahead of the game."

The recent failed attempt to set off a car bomb in New York City's Times Square has provided more reasons for border officers to be more vigilant, Corsaro said.

"Our primary purpose is to protect the country from those individuals who want to perpetrate terrorist acts and other criminal activity, as well as the interdiction of terror and other forms of contraband," Corsaro said.

In the last five years, the number of arrests on the U.S. side of the four bridges has increased by 17 percent. In 2005, 623 people were locked up on various charges. By 2009, that number had climbed to 732. On average annually, local customs officers deny some 2,000 people entry into the country because of serious criminal records.

While Canada has been criticized by U.S. politicians for being lax at its borders following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, that appears to have changed. In 2005, Canada Border Service Agency officers detained 10,774 individuals, whose claims of refugee status or criminal history raised red flags. Last year, that number throughout all of Canada jumped to 14,362, a 33 percent increase.

Many were eventually allowed to remain in Canada, but thousands were kicked out, Canadian officials said.

Patrizia Giolti, spokeswoman for the Canadian border service, said tougher enforcement is a matter of fairness for those "who live in Canada lawfully."

lmichel@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/05/27/1 ... utiny.html

The headline should say

LEGAL Border-crossers face closer scrutiny - ILLEGAL Border Crossers still uninspected

What a joke.....They continue to turn a blind eye to the thousands illegally crossing unguarded parts of the joke of a border during a so called war on terror. God help us all but even divine intervention won't help us at this juncture......