Long waits at B.C. border crossings due to outbound checks by American officials

Drivers heading northbound into Canada should be prepared for long waits in some cases.

1130 NewsRadio is learning that American border agents are once again conducting widespread checks at both the Peace Arch and Pacific crossings on Tuesday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been carrying out checks since at least last week, describing them as “routine” inspections and part of the agency’s national security mission.

Callers say border officials are checking virtually every vehicle entering the crossing as they wait to leave the United States.

Washington-based immigration lawyer Len Saunders says the extended inspections are unlike anything he’s ever seen before.

“I can see literally every car going north was stopped,” he said.

He says while he’s aware that outbound inspections have happened from time to time in the past, officials have usually been more strategic with their checks in order to search for a fugitive who may be leaving the country.

Saunders said there’s no clear explanation for the breadth of the searches that have been ongoing for the past few days.

He said the backups have been so severe in the area that they are causing congestion into the town of Blaine, including “traffic hazards”.

Saunders adds that targeted inspections are one thing, but this kind of widespread check could be pushing more Canadians to stay home at a time when cross-border travel has fallen dramatically.

He said the parking lot at the Trader Joe’s in Bellingham, long a pilgrimage for road-tripping Canadians, has been a “ghost town” in recent months.