Border dispute may hurt Niagara economy
Homeland Security bans New Yorkers from fast-access border programs such as Nexus and FAST
Niagara’s economy could take a major hit because of a decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ban New Yorkers from enrolling in programs that allow travellers to quickly pass through customs, such as the Nexus program at the Whirlpool Bridge and the FAST program for commercial trucks at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is warning.
Chamber president and CEO Mishka Balsom co-signed a Feb. 21 letter with Hamilton Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Keanin Loomis and Dottie Gallagher, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, urging Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf to reconsider the decision. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
announced the state will sue the Trump administration over its decision to bar New Yorkers from enrolling in the programs, which critics have called political.
“It’s an abuse of power,” NBC News quoted Cuomo as saying. “It’s extortion. It’s hurting New Yorkers to advance their political agenda and we’re going to fight back.”
The Niagara Chamber is warning this region’s economy, so very reliant on the vast U.S. market, could end up being collateral damage in the dispute.
“Supplies to companies here could be flowed down,” said Hugo Chesshire, director of policy and government relations. “There could be huge (backups) at the border.” The Department of Homeland Security announced it was cancelling New Yorkers’ ability to enrol in the Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs, after New York passed a law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licences.
The state passed a law last year allowing New Yorkers over age 16 to apply for driver’s licences regardless of their citizenship or legal status in the country.
The law prohibits Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from accessing the state’s department of motor vehicles database without a court order or judicial warrant, NBC News said. Homeland Security announced earlier in February that New Yorkers will no longer be able to apply for, or renew, their membership in certain Trusted Traveler Programs such as Global Entry.
Wolf said in a news release the “irresponsible action” by the state prevents department of motor vehicle information being shared with ICE and customs. He said ICE uses that data to investigate and build cases against terrorists, and criminals who commit child sexual exploitation, human trafficking and financial crimes.
Homeland Security said almost 30,000 commercial truck drivers are enrolled in the FAST program at New York-Canada ports of entry, and said 150,000 to 200,000 New Yorkers will be impacted by the ban on the quick-entry programs.
The letter jointly signed by Balsom said 40 per cent of trucks crossing the Peace Bridge rely on the FAST program.
The Niagara Region is home to 930 companies generating $4.5 billion in direct trade with the United States, supporting 33,450 jobs, the letter said.
“Every day that this suspension continues will undoubtedly cost money, jobs and time, dissolving the market confidence that our region has worked so hard to create despite years of economic challenges,” the letter authors said.
“Every day that this suspension continues does real financial and societal harm.”
Chesshire said in addition to likely causing many American tourists who might otherwise visit Niagara Falls, Ont., to stay at home, the changes will snarl border traffic and slow down the movement of goods.
“Some parts of cars cross the border about a dozen times,” he said. “The amount of goods flowing into Canada from the U.S. will be impacted. Plants could see slowdowns. There could be layoffs, and prices could go up for goods from the U.S.”
If tens of thousands of New Yorkers who used to flow through the border into the U.S. are now tying up limited numbers of U.S. customs officers, that could also mean long delays for Canadian products being shipped to the U.S., said Chesshire.
“It’s definitely going to be felt throughout our economy,” he said.