BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s almost been a daily occurrence that the crossing the northern border from Canada to the United States in Western New York can see wait times of over an hour.
In fact, it’s become such a problem that Congressman Brian Higgins sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, putting the blame on the agency’s staffing for those wait times saying that “inspection booths at northern border ports of entry are woefully understaffed.”
It comes after 34 of its own officers in April were sent down to the southern border to help address the ongoing migrant crisis, leading to only two of the 12 lanes being open at the Peace Bridge and those wait times of over an hour that we are seeing almost daily.
Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy who also said the situation at the northern border needs to be addressed immediately to avoid negative effects on the region's economy.
“This is not acceptable,” he said. “Especially at our northern border, our Western New York community, we have a very short summer season and to inconvenience so many of our travelers is just, I don't think, acceptable. We need to get those lanes open, those lanes are there for a reason.”
Congressman Langworthy also pointed to the fact that Western New York’s economy has still not fully recovered from the border being closed during COVID and that it is especially crucial to fix given the amount of business that comes from Canadians annually, generating abou $20.8 billion in revenue nationwide from nearly 21 million visitors each year.
Langworthy plans to send a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and meet with them in August as well to see if he can get answers on why there is not adequate staffing at the border.
Meanwhile, an additional 30 agents are expected to be sent to from the northern to the southern border next month.
