Recent measures by the federal government to strengthen its border security And responding to the complaints of American president Donald Trump is a good start, but are not going far enough to solve long-standing problems, the former border agents of Canada and the United States say.
Ottawa has invested more than a billion dollars in new equipment and security measures to combat drug trafficking and irregular migration in order to avoid the radical prices of Trump, which linked its trade threat to concerns about fentanyl in particular. The prices should move forward on Tuesday, said Trump last week after suggesting that Canada had not done enough.
Although new investments are welcome and have impacts, the former head of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Kelly Sundberg, says that there must be a more coordinated and prospective approach to border security.
“I heard a lot of grunts (ASCSA members) with regard to the way disorganized and chaotic things have been,” he told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview on Sunday The western block.
“The fact is that we have neglected our security of borders and borders and migration for a very long time. From now on, Donald Trump’s pressures expose these concerns, but we should have done much more with border safety before. »»
Trump first threatened to impose 25% tariffs in Canada and Mexico, with 10% samples from Canadian energy products on February 4. He then arrested them for 30 days, but said the prices would return if the two countries do not significantly reduce the drugs and migrants flowing in the United States at that time.
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Canada has sought to highlight the progress it has made on the border and disrupt the production and traffic in fentanyl during meetings with US officials throughout a month’s grace period.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the cabinet ministers said that fentanyl crises on the border had dropped 90% in the last month, which the White House has highlighted A reading of Trump’s call with Trudeau last weekend.
But Trump asked Thursday Canada has not progressed in the fentanyl stop “at all” and should make “much more” crises.
Data from the American Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) shows that in January, fentanyl convulsions on the Canadian-American border have dropped to their lowest levels since 2023, with less than 14 grams seized during the month. More than 19 kilograms of Canada fentanyl were apprehended during the last financial year.
Former CBP officer Keith Cozine said that migrant meetings and border medicines generally drop during the winter months, and it is not yet clear if last month’s decrease – which, according to him, is “not close to figures that the Canadian government claims” – is different.
“Some of the efforts that are put in place on the Canadian side of the border will help, but there is so much more than they have to do to ensure this border,” he said.
According to data from the American government and the Canadian government, less than one percent of fentanyl entering the United States from Canada. About six percent of the irregular migrant meetings were on the North American border in the last two exercises, According to CBP data.
The situation “turns pale in relation to what we see from Mexico,” said Cozine, where most American border security resources are deployed.
However, Sundberg said many security threats placed in Canada on the border were still due. These range from stopping illegal firearm traffic in the United States, stimulating the safety container safety controls arriving by boat or train, increasing the biodata screening of people arriving at entrance ports.
“We have a migration program based on honor for some time,” he said. “But the problem is that he has exposed us to significant threats, when you associate this with the hyper afflux of foreign nationals through our temporary visa programs.”
Cozine has agreed that the biggest problem for the joint border security in Canada-US is at official entry points, the United States often preventing people who enter Canada with the intention of heading south.
“There is very little screening for people entering (Canada) when you compare yourself to the United States,” he said. “This problem is not going to disappear until they strengthen border security to the entrance ports.”
Sundberg has added that more ACBSA agents are needed to withdraw people who have a security risk or who do not leave the country if necessary.
“The reality is that we have only 400 officers on a national scale who are responsible for identifying, stopping and removing illegal non-citizens,” he said. “Four hundred individuals for the size of our country and for the volumes that we examine, it is the theater.”
He said that the necessary changes will require legislation to modify laws such as the Immigration Refugee Protection Act, Customs Code, Criminal Code and Canada Border Services Agency.
This last status should be changed to transform ACBs into “the Canada’s border security agency,” he said, and establish independent surveillance-which he said could have highlighted the challenges that Canada is confronted with years ago.
“Canada has a lot of work to do to ensure our sovereignty,” said Sundberg.
“It’s time to stop making press releases and starting to protect our border.”
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