CBP Launches Pre-Inspection Test Phase of Peace Bridge Cargo Program
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP formally launched Phase II of the truck cargo pre-inspection pilot at the Peace Bridge crossing between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, in conjunction with the Public Safety Canada and Canada Border Services Agency, said DHS in a Feb. 24 statement. Phase II aims to test the CBP ability to pre-inspect U.S.-bound truck cargo in Canada in order to reduce wait times and border congestion, said DHS. The pre-inspection process will include radiation screening and other basic processing, added DHS. “The joint efforts of the United States and Canada are key to expediting the secure flow of commerce and improving the economic opportunity of our two countries,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Following the U.S.-Canadian declaration to implement the program in February 2011, Phase I determined the feasibility of placing CBP officers in Canada to conduct the pre-inspection process, said DHS.
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Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., praised the Phase II launch. “The United States and Canada have long enjoyed a strong binational partnership further bolstered by the Beyond the Border agreement,” said Higgins (here). “Pre-inspection saw success during phase I and holds great promise of facilitating a more efficient flow of goods, delivering environmental benefits and reducing congestion for all crossing the bridge. A more predictable border serves to grow the already deeply connected economies of Western New York and Southern Ontario supporting jobs and businesses on both sides of the bridge.”