A U.S. immigration lawyer says he’s never seen an additional checkpoint at the B.C.-U.S. border for travellers heading back into Canada.
Over the past four days, U.S. border guards have been stopping vehicles at random to search them.
Global News saw agents climb inside a van with the search lasting about two minutes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Global News in a statement that these checks are “routine inspections, a tool to apprehend unwanted individuals and contraband.”
Not every vehicle is stopped and checked but Border Protection said it could not answer if the choices are made at random as that information is law enforcement sensitive.
“I want to know what’s changed,” lawyer Len Saunders said.
“I’ve been doing this, practising immigration law in Blaine for almost a quarter century. I’ve never seen them do this. I want (to) know why. I don’t want some rhetoric, blah-blah answer.”
The additional checkpoint comes as the number of Canadians heading to the U.S. continues to drop.
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Just under 100,000 vehicles with B.C. plates travelled south in April, which is less than half the number from the same time last year.
It is also impacting U.S. businesses.
“Do I understand it? Yes, for sure,” Seattle-based restaurateur Ethan Stowell said.
“I think there’s tension where there usually is not tension. And that’s gonna hinder things.”
Seattle businesses are launching a campaign to entice Canadians to head down.
This Friday and Saturday, to coincide with the Blue Jays game, some restaurants, hotels and even the Space Needle are offering a 30-per cent discount, effectively putting the Canadian dollar on par with the U.S.
“Not only does it tell our Canadian friends that we’re open for business, our doors are open to them, but that we value them,” hotel general manager of The Lodge at St. Edward Park, Corey Roettgers, said.
“We hear them and we understand what they’re going through.”
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