GHY Tradelines

(CBSA)

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a joint report  on the findings of Phase I of the Entry/Exit Initiative. The report demonstrates progress in establishing a coordinated Entry/Exit information system that enhances border security. This report also demonstrates that Canada and the United States (U.S.) are continuing to deliver on key commitments under the Beyond the Border Action Plan.

As part of Phase I, the CBSA and DHS exchanged routine biographic entry information – collected between September 30, 2012, and January 15, 2013 – of third-country nationals (those who are neither citizens of Canada nor of the U.S.), permanent residents of Canada and lawful permanent residents of the United States at four land ports of entry in British Columbia/Washington State and in Ontario/New York. Phase I tested the concept of an Entry/Exit system for both countries through the exchange of information, such that a record of entry into one country becomes a record of exit from the other.

Both Canada and the U.S. found the following from biographic entry records exchanged from the four ports of entry selected for Phase I:
• entry and exit records were reconciled, thereby indicating whether a third-country national complied with the terms of his or her admission/entry;
• potential overstays were identified;
• potential unexecuted immigration warrants were identified; and
• opportunities exist to identify document anomalies or fraud.

Read more »

(Canadian Press)

The federal government is breathing a sigh of relief after a U.S. Senate committee rejected a proposal to collect fees at land border crossings.

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan says he’s pleased the potential fees have been quashed.

He says they would have damaged the Canadian and U.S. economies.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had wanted Congress to authorize the study of a fee that could be collected from everyone entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.

But yesterday, the Senate judiciary committee voted to amend the Immigration Reform Bill to ban such a fee. Read more here.
 

(Burnaby Now)

Yes, everyone’s in a tizzy since the Americans announced they’re considering charging a fee to Canadian border crossers.

While bridges across the Lower Mainland are springing up with tolls, we’ve always taken it for granted that a trip to the States will be gratis.

Well, for a certain value of free. A border crossing fee, especially one of $1 to $10, won’t deter anyone from making a once-a-year trip to see Disneyland or their American friends or relatives.

But there are those who cross the border every day – truckers, mostly, but some folks choose to live in Canada and work in the U.S., or vice versa. Read more here.
 

(Randy Boswell – Postmedia News)

Three U.S. lawmakers have launched a bid to scrap the “dysfunctional” binational agency that has overseen operation of the Peace Bridge between Ontario and New York for nearly a century, part of the escalating fallout from a dispute over planned improvements to the U.S. approach to the crossing that has pitted Canadian board members against their American counterparts.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority — commonly known as the Peace Bridge Authority — and the key international link it has administered since 1923 have been hailed as symbols of the enduring friendship between the U.S. and Canada after the War of 1812, the key battles of which were fought near the present site of the Niagara River bridge that connects Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, N.Y Read more here.
 

(Philly.com)

Federal spending on border security is at an all-time high—and it would get even higher under the Gang of Eight’s new plan. The Senate immigration proposal, released last week, would allocate $4.5 billion in the next five years to tighten control of U.S. borders.

The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion dollars on immigration enforcement agencies last fiscal year, more than all other law enforcement agencies combined.

Where would another $4.5 billion go? Here’s a closer look at what is being proposed, and how the government has spent (and often wasted) border money in recent years. Read more here.
 

(The Canadian Press)

A U.S. congressman says Canadians should not be overly concerned about a proposed border crossing fee, saying it just isn’t going to happen.

Democratic representative Brian Higgins, who is from the border city of Buffalo, N.Y., told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday that he has a lot of allies in the U.S. Congress who will stop any legislation that includes a fee.

Higgins, who is a member of the Homeland security committee, has been a vocal critic of a proposed feasibility study on a border fee since it was spotted last week buried deep in the department’s 2014 budget. New York Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat, has also spoken out in opposition. Read more here.
 

(Jerry Zremski – Buffalo News)

The federal government is considering imposing a fee on passenger vehicles and pedestrians crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders.

The Department of Homeland Security suggested studying the imposition of such a fee in its fiscal 2014 budget proposal, which was released last week. But the idea attracted little notice until Thursday, when Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, lashed out at the idea as a potential killer of cross-border business.

“At a time when we are looking to increase economic activity at our northern border, we should not be authoring proposals that would do the reverse,” Higgins said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Read more here.
 

Written testimony of DHS Management Directorate, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration for a House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency hearing titled “The Impact of Sequestration on Homeland Security: Scare Tactics or Possible Threat?”

“While our recently enacted appropriations will help DHS to mitigate – to some degree – the impacts of sequestration on our operations and workforce that were originally projected under the FY 2013 Continuing Resolution (CR) enacted on September 28, 2012, there is no doubt that these cuts will affect operations in the short- and long-term. Lines and wait times at our ports of entry (POEs) are longer, affecting travel and trade; the take home pay of the men and women on the frontlines will be reduced; and employees across the Department as well as the public we serve face uncertainty based on sudden budgetary reductions that must be met by the end of the year. The long-term effects of sustained cuts at these levels will result in reduced operational capacity, breached staffing floors, and economic impacts to the private sector through reduced and cancelled contracts. In spite of the substantial and far reaching cuts mandated by sequestration, we will continue to do everything we can to minimize impacts on our core mission and employees, consistent with the operational priorities in our 2014 budget.”

Click here to read the complete testimony.
 

(Public Safety Canada)

Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Vic Toews, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that paves the way for a United States Customs and Border Protection (U.S. CBP) truck cargo pre-inspection pilot project on Canadian soil. The MOU was signed in Washington during their biannual meeting and is a commitment made as part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan.

“Our Government aims to enhance our security and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods and services at the Canada–U.S. border, as envisioned in the Beyond the Border Action Plan,” said Minister Toews. “The pilot announced today will test the concept of conducting primary inspection of U.S.-bound truck cargo in Canada in order to better manage our shared border and improve economic opportunities for Canadian manufacturers and their U.S.-based supply chain partners.”

“Our countries have made significant progress in implementing the initiatives of the Beyond the Border Action Plan,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The implementation of the truck cargo pre-inspection pilot will aim to further enhance the economic and national security of both of our nations.”

Canadian and U.S. officials will now work together to finalize the details to implement the pilot. The truck cargo pre-inspection pilot will be carried out in two phases:

• Phase I will test the concept of conducting U.S. CBP primary cargo inspection in Canada, and will be implemented at the Pacific Highway crossing between Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine, Washington.

• Phase II will further test how pre-inspection could enhance border efficiency and reduce wait times to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, and will be implemented at the Peace Bridge crossing between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.

The Canadian and U.S. governments will continue to work closely with key stakeholders. Their views will be sought throughout the pilot project to help ensure its success.
 

(STR Trade Report)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a proposal to establish a new Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism system of records, known as the DHS/CBP-018 C-TPAT System of Records. This new system of records collects and manages information, including personally identifiable information, about prospective, ineligible, current or former trade partners in C-TPAT and other entities and individuals in their supply chains. The system also collects and maintains information, including personally identifiable information, regarding members of a foreign government secure supply chain program that have been recognized by CBP through a mutual recognition arrangement or a comparable arrangement as being compatible with the program. The C-TPAT program provides a security link portal that allows partners and applicants to access and manage their information.

CBP notes that it is publishing this new system of records notice to notify the public about the system, permit trade partners access to the information they provide, and offer a description of how and where information is collected and maintained. The new system of records will be effective on April 12 unless comments are received that result in a contrary determination.

DHS has issued a separate notice in the Federal Register seeking input by April 12 on a related proposal that would exempt portions of this new system of records from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act because of criminal, civil and administrative enforcement requirements. CBP believes that these exemptions are needed to protect information relating to DHS activities from disclosure to subjects or others related to these activities.
 

(Jon Hembrey – CBC News)

Cross-border trade, Canadian manufacturers will feel the sequester

The billions in automatic spending cuts in the U.S., which come into effect today, could have an impact on cross-border trade with Canada as well as contribute to a general economic slowdown.

“It’s very hard to say,” Ambarish Chandra, assistant professor of economics at the University of Toronto, said of the potential effects here.

“I think even within the U.S. it’s not clear where the axe will fall. There is so much uncertainty about exactly what programs are going to be cut and which ones aren’t.”

President Barack Obama and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders failed to reach an agreement during a meeting on Friday.

Given the sheer size of the cuts — the plan involves slashing $1.2 trillion in federal spending by 2021, including $85 billion this fiscal year — the sequester will undoubtedly have some impact, particularly with respect to cross-border travel and trade. Read more here.
 

(Josh Hicks – Washington Post)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will furlough its employees for up to 14 days this year if the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester kick in on March 1, according to a letter the agency sent to union officials this week.

The agency notified the National Border Patrol Council president on Wednesday of its plans for $754 million in spending reductions if lawmakers fail to come up with an alternative to the sequester in time for the deadline in eight days.

The letter said furloughs would be mandatory for all Customs and Border Protection employees, including management and workers without union representation. Notices would go out in mid-March, the agency said. Read more here.
 

(STR Trade Report)

U.S. government agencies warned Congress recently that the automatic federal funding cuts (sequestration) slated to take effect March 1 could have significant consequences for a number of international trade and business-related activities, including the following.

Department of Commerce – hampering commerce due to reduced survey, charting, geospatial and observing services related to maritime navigation; ending work through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center system to help small manufacturers develop market growth strategies and streamline their supply chains; delaying efforts to help return small manufacturing enterprises to the U.S. from offshore locations; significantly cutting travel to conduct checks to ensure that sensitive controlled commodities are being used in accordance with license conditions; reducing by nearly $15 million assistance to U.S. businesses looking to increase their exports and expand operations into foreign markets; cutting trade enforcement, compliance and market access activities by nearly $7 million; prohibiting the International Trade Administration from placing staffers in critical international growth markets

Department of Homeland Security – funding and staffing reductions will affect U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ability to collect revenue owed to the federal government and slow screening and entry programs for those entering the U.S., reduce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities such as commercial trade fraud investigations, and curtail U.S. Coast Guard operations to ensure the safe flow of commerce along U.S. waterways

Department of State – undermining progress made to ensure that visa requests are processed in a timely fashion; compromising the ability to help U.S. companies capture opportunities abroad in growing markets with trade agreements, investment treaties, direct advocacy and other diplomatic tools; and reducing economic assistance accounts, foreign military financing and export promotion programs, setting back efforts to open markets overseas and create U.S. exports and jobs

Department of Health and Human Services – reducing the number of inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities by about 2,100

Department of Agriculture – causing as much as 15 days of lost production at meat and poultry plans during a furlough of inspection personnel, eliminating export inspections and reducing import inspections

Department of Transportation – furloughing a large number of air traffic controllers and reducing air traffic to a level that can be safely managed by a smaller number

Department of Labor – reducing grants for child labor and trade-related workers’ rights projects

Department of Energy – hindering U.S. innovation as global markets for solar energy continue to grow rapidly and become more competitive
 

(David Perera – Fierce Homeland Security)

The Coast Guard would curtail air and surface operations by nearly 25 percent and a significant portion of frontline Homeland Security Department personnel would be furloughed for up to 14 days should sequestration begin on March 1, says Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Across-the-board cuts could also potentially result in reductions in force, Napolitano said, using the government term for layoffs.

In a Feb. 13 letter sent in response to a request from Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Napolitano said the overall effect of across-the-board spending cuts would be to increase national risk.

Sequestration, originally set to take effect in January following the November 2011 failure of a joint congressional committee to settle on a $1.5 trillion deficit reduction plan, is now set to exact automatic cuts of $85 billion equally divided between defense and non-defense spending starting in March.

Many in Congress have said sequestration is inevitable; speaking with Capitol Hill reporters Feb. 12, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said it seems “pretty clear to me that sequester is going to go into effect,” adding that there is “no evidence that the House plans to act on this matter before the end of the month.” Read more here.
 

(DHS)

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the expansion of the temporary, blanket waiver of the Jones Act, issued yesterday, to also facilitate the transportation of feedstocks, blending components, and additives used to produce fuels.

As a result of impacts caused by Hurricane Sandy, yesterday Secretary Napolitano issued a temporary, blanket waiver of the Jones Act to immediately allow additional oil tankers coming from the Gulf of Mexico to enter Northeastern ports, to provide additional fuel resources to the region. Read more here.
 

(Zack Whittaker — ZD Net.com)

Another day, another scrap of bad news for the beleaguered BlackBerry maker. This time around, despite prospects of a financial turnaround, a major enterprise customer pulls out.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, a division of the U.S. Homeland Security, is pulling the plug on its enterprise contract with Research in Motion, the struggling BlackBerry maker.

Instead, the Homeland Security agency will ditch the BlackBerry, which it has used for the best part of a decade, in favor of iPhones for its 17,600 employee base — a deal thought to be worth in the region of $2.1 million, according to the so-called “solicitation” document. Read more here.
 

(The Buffalo News – Robert McCarthy)

American inspectors will assess vehicles in Ontario before reaching Peace Bridge

The United States and Canada have preliminarily agreed that American personnel may inspect Buffalo-bound trucks in Fort Erie, Ont., as part of a long- sought plan to improve traffic flow across the Peace Bridge.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the pilot agreement Monday after yearlong negotiations involving the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its Canadian counterpart.

The plan calls for the Peace Bridge to serve as one of two experimental border crossings for 18 months beginning in late December, though the details of allowing armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers to operate in Canada – a major sticking point in previous negotiations – have yet to be determined.

Still, sources close to the talks say the two governments have agreed to one of two options. One involves allowing U.S. law enforcement officers to carry guns on Canadian soil but be subject to stringent Canadian laws and regulations. The sources say that plan could receive tough scrutiny from the officers’ union.

Another option would allow armed Canadian law enforcement personnel to accompany U.S. officers during inspections in Fort Erie, similar to current U.S. operations at major Canadian airports, including Pearson International in Toronto. Either way, the sources say Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has assured negotiators the plan is virtually certain to be implemented. Read more here.
 

(CBSA)

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that, effective September 30, 2012, both agencies will begin the Phase I pilot of the Entry/Exit initiative as outlined in the Beyond the Border Action Plan.

The Phase I pilot project will allow Canada and the U.S. to test the IT capacity to exchange and reconcile biographic information on the entry of travellers that are not Canadian citizens or U.S. citizens, such that a record of entry into one country could be considered as a record of exit from the other.

Under the pilot project, the CBSA and DHS will exchange data currently collected on third-country nationals (those who are neither citizens of Canada nor of the United States), permanent residents of Canada and lawful permanent residents of the United States at the following four ports of entry:

• Pacific Highway, Surrey, British Columbia / Pacific Highway, Blaine, Washington;
• Douglas (Peace Arch), Surrey, British Columbia / Peace Arch, Blaine, Washington;
• Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario / Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Lewiston, New York; and
• Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, Ontario / Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, New York.

Read more »

(Public Safety Canada)

Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Vic Toews, and the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, met in Montreal, Quebec yesterday to discuss border security and cross-border trade.

Yesterday’s meeting was an opportunity to take stock of the work being done to advance the joint Beyond the Border Action Plan: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, which was announced by Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and the President of the United States, Barack Obama, on December 7th, 2011.

There has been substantial progress on numerous border initiatives outlined in the Beyond the Border Action Plan. For example, the three-year residency requirement for the NEXUS program was amended and new technology to reduce border wait times was launched.

“We are working closely and effectively with our U.S. partners to strengthen trade ties and ensure that our shared border remains open to legitimate businesses and travellers,” said Minister Toews. “The collaboration between Canada and the U.S. continues to strengthen the security and economy of both our nations.”

“Our countries have made significant progress in implementing the initiatives of the Beyond the Border Action Plan,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We will continue to work together to move the plan forward-further enhancing the economic and national security of both of our nations.”

Minister Toews and Secretary Napolitano also discussed ongoing work to improve bilateral information sharing for national security purposes while respecting each country’s constitutional and legal frameworks – a commitment made in the Beyond the Border Action Plan.

During their meeting, they reflected on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the importance of ongoing bilateral cooperation to combat common threats against Canada and the U.S.
 

(Ted Robbins – NPR)

The United States’ southern border bristles with technology and manpower designed to catch illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. Since 1986, the government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on fences, aircraft, detention centers and agents.

But even as federal budgets shrink and illegal immigration ebbs, experts say that there’s no end in sight for the growth of the border-industrial complex. Read more or listen to the story here.