Checkpoints by U.S. border patrol raise concerns amid drop in Canadian visitors

Tessa Vikander · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 10:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

U.S. borderline patrol officers person been mounting up other checkpoints adjacent crossings betwixt the U.S. and Metro Vancouver. 

In an antithetic scene, vehicles successful the U.S. that are heading northbound to Canada done the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings are sometimes being stopped by U.S. borderline patrol earlier they permission the state and get astatine Canadian customs. In immoderate cases, it has added hours to crossing times.

"They stopped and they asked america to unfastened everything up," said David Crosby, a U.S. resident who crossed into British Columbia connected Tuesday successful his vehicle.

WATCH | Blain residents are disquieted caller screenings volition deter Canadian visitors:

Crosby said U.S. officials asked him astir erstwhile helium would beryllium returning to the U.S. and whether he'd beryllium bringing thing backmost with him. This, helium said, gave him the content they were looking to drawback radical with plans of smuggling.

The added checkpoints travel arsenic less Canadians question to the U.S., with galore citing President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats of making Canada the 51st authorities arsenic their reasons. April saw a 51 per cent driblet successful cars with B.C. licence plates heading into the U.S. from southwest B.C. compared to the aforesaid period past year. 

National information mission

CBC News archetypal started proceeding from readers astir the checkpoints precocious past week, and the politician of Blaine, Wash., said she saw the checkpoints successful enactment implicit the weekend.

"I went and watched connected Saturday and they were stopping each 4th car, looking successful the trunk, looking successful the backseat and letting them go," said Mayor Mary Lou Steward.

"I didn't spot anyone getting hauled retired of their car."

Steward said she's tried to fig retired wherefore it's happening but "drew a blank" aft she reached retired to U.S. borderline officials.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection lone told CBC News that, arsenic portion of its nationalist information mission, it "routinely conducts inspections connected outbound traffic" successful bid to apprehend "wanted individuals" and to prehend "a assortment of contraband."

One predominant borderline crosser told CBC that she's been stopped respective times implicit the past fewer days and sometimes determination are sniffer dogs astatine the checkpoints.

Added deterrence

U.S. migration lawyer Len Saunders — who works successful Blaine — said these types of checkpoints are typically enactment successful spot during a situation specified arsenic an amber alert oregon erstwhile there's a transgression connected the run.

"What's caller is that they're doing them each azygous day, which I've ne'er seen," helium said.

Saunders worries the added measurement astatine the borderline could deter much Canadians from travelling to the U.S.

"When Canadians perceive they're doing these outbound checks and they're taking not minutes but hours, cipher is going to travel down here," helium said.

Local businesses and section governments of borderline towns trust connected gross and income taxation from Canadian shoppers. 

Blaine's municipal authorities relies connected income taxation arsenic 1 of its main sources of revenue.

Mayor Steward said the driblet in Canadian visitors could airs a existent occupation for the town's authorities services.  

"This is going to interaction however we are capable to supply services to our people," she said.