By Daily Bee Staff | The Bonner County Daily Bee
Lawmakers continue to demand northern ports of entry in Idaho and other northern states return to pre-pandemic operating hours.
In a bipartisan, bicameral effort on June 7, Idaho’s Congressional Delegation along with lawmakers from Montana and North Dakota sent a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, demanding the agency expand the hours of operations at ports of entry in Idaho and other northern states or, at minimum, match the operating hours with their adjacent Canadian Border Services Agency ports.
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The lawmakers criticized CBP for temporarily expanding hours at hour ports, when the agency has recently expanded hours at other U.S. ports of entry to align with their adjacent Canadian ports, such as in Vermont.
“While we commend the recent extension of hours in Vermont, we see no reasonable justification for continuing to limit the ports of entry hours in other northern border states,” the lawmakers wrote.
They added the “mismatched” and “uncoordinated hours” are causing confusion and frustration across the northern border. They listed several examples across Montana, North Dakota and in Boundary County where the Canadian border crossings are open longer than the adjacent U.S. ports of entry.
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The June 7 letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jon Tester, D-Mont., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.; and U.S. congressmen Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
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