Madam Speaker. cancellation of this weeks vote of the Secure Our Border Act is a relief for northern border communities. including my western New York district. This legislation would require a biometric exit system at every border crossing which would duplicate inspections and significantly slow the flow of people and goods across the northern border. The Beyond the Border agreement already allows for exit data to be shared between Canadian and U.S. officials. thus. the implementation of this system at the northern border would be redundant at least. Already congested border crossings. such as the Peace Bridge in western New York. would see longer delays which would ultimately create disastrous economic effects and compound security concerns. A Peace Bridge authority official said that implementation of this program would effectively shut down the northern border. Investments in personnel and infrastructure should be made along our borders. but we must take into consideration the unique needs of northern and southern border communities and protect the strong economic relationship that is essential to the United States and Canadian economies.
Keywords matched
border crossing