U.S. authorities propose beefing up surveillance technology and patrols, including radar, underground sensors and drones along the Canadian border, rather than building fencing, roads or new border patrol stations to improve security, says an internal environmental report.
The proposal is the result of a detailed two-year study, released this month by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection Agency (CBP), which evaluated the environmental impact of future strategies on the border.
“It’s based on the operational need and what the operational individuals have indicated is necessary to secure the U.S./Canada border,” said Jennifer DeHart Hass, the CBP’s environmental and energy division director.
“We don’t envision massive new construction of facilities. This was looked at as the alternative that best met the operational needs and the projections on the next seven to 10 years.”
It is the most environmentally friendly plan and fits the agency’s overall projections, she said.
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At about 6,400 kilometres, the non-militarized border between the U.S. and Canada is the longest in the world. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. border agents have tightened restrictions and increased checks at border crossings.
In December, U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the “Beyond the Border action plan.”
This was billed as an unprecedented joint approach to border protection that would develop common practices to screen travellers and cargo. The aim was to guard against terrorism and ease trade.
The environmental report, The Programmatic Environmental Impact Assessment, is part of a process required by U.S. law to gauge the environmental impact of any government action. It does not relate to a specific policy.
Rather, it reflects “reasonably foreseeable changes” to the agency’s northern border program and will be used in decision making, Ms. DeHart Hass said.
Experts caution the recommendations are not cast in stone and could change dramatically as they are discussed by different levels of the U.S. government.
Alexander Moens, a political science professor at Simon Fraser University, said this is “four or five steps away from policy” and could shift depending on the outcome of the November presidential election.
“There is quite a bit of appetite in Congress for a stronger border with Canada, but the Department of Homeland Security has no budget to expand,” he said.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Spowart
The Ambassador Bridge, spanning the Detroit River dividing Canada and the U.S.
He thought it was a good sign new structures and fences — which could exacerbate border backlogs — were not proposed.
“The good news is that they’re not going to build all kinds of buildings and fences,” he said. “The reality is we really don’t know what this thing is going to mean.”
Reg Whitaker, professor emeritus of political science from York University, said some technology, such as drones and scanners, is already in use.
“Technological surveillance is becoming more and more sophisticated,” he said.
“And to the extent it is not in your face, it avoids the kind of political backlash that a fence has.”
Surveillance technology and patrols could reduce wait times at border crossings, and increase the number of cross-border violators intercepted, the agency said in the report.
The Canada Border Services Agency said it was in both countries’ interest for the border to remain “open, efficient and secure.”
“From our huge trade relationship to our common security concerns, we will continue to work together to keep the border open to legitimate trade and travel but closed to terrorists, criminals and other threats,” it said in a statement.
National Post, with files from Postmedia News
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U.S. suggests beefed up surveillance along Canadian border | BlogsCanada.ca
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