Higgins and Stefanik urge CBP to address staffing shortages at northern border

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Democrats and Republicans are calling for attention to the US-Canada border.

Rep. Brian Higgins of New York said, “Many inspection booths manned by customs and border agents are closed and empty.”

Higgins said he had a problem with long lines on the northern border.

“You have to wait up to an hour and a half to enter the United States from Canada,” Higgins said.

Higgins said this is because Customs and Border Protection agents have been redeployed from the northern border to the southern border, reducing the number of border agents and making it harder for Canadians to enter the United States. Stated.

“You know what’s going to happen,” Higgins said. “People will turn and go home.”

Some 21 million people migrate from Canada each year, spending nearly $21 billion in the United States, but Higgins fears border delays will slow the flow of money to border-dependent communities. are doing.

“Our economies are deeply interdependent, and so is our quality of life,” Higgins said.

He and Rep. Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.) have called for the deployment of border guards to address the shortage. They argue that the way CBP is handling the situation at the southern border makes recruiting in the north difficult.

“Because they could be redeployed,” Higgins said.

In the letter, Stefanik called on CBP to “maintain necessary resources at the northern border to enable proper functioning.”

Higgins said many communities are trying to get back to pre-pandemic levels, but without change there will be no progress.