FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 14 ,2002

SCHUMER: CHAMPLAIN BORDER LACKS IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE SECURITY AND SPEED TRAFFIC

Schumer urges US Customs Service to install new equipment at Champlain/LaColle border that would speed passenger traffic without sacrificing security

Champlain/LaColle border, one of the busiest in the US, is the only Northern Border crossing without the NEXUS program for frequent travelers

US Senator Charles Schumer today urged the US Customs Service to install new technology at the Champlain/LaColle border crossing that will help speed passenger traffic and improve border security. Schumer said the NEXUS program – which allows pre-screened and frequent travelers to cross the border expeditiously – should be installed at the border facility in addition to the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Program, which allows for swifter passage of commercial trucks and will be installed at the border next month.

"Champlain/Lacolle is a valuable border crossing that has suffered from long and unacceptable traffic delays for years," Schumer wrote in letter to the head of US Customs Service, Robert C. Bonner. "It ranks fourth nationwide in terms of the value of its commerce. New York's Congressional Delegation has fought long and hard to bring about facility upgrades to mitigate its congestion but I believe more can be done. I urge you to schedule a date for NEXUS installation at the Champlain/Lacolle crossing as soon as possible, preferably at the same time as the installation of FAST."

The NEXUS program allows pre-screened, low-risk travelers to be processed with little or no delay by United States and Canadian border officials. Participants in the program must complete an application and submit personal background information, which is checked against crime and terrorism data in both countries. Applicants must also be interviewed by both American and Canadian officials. Only those applicants judged to pose no risk are accepted. If approved, program participants are issued a special photo identification card. NEXUS participants pass through a designated lane at the border – similar to an E-ZPass lane at toll booths – where identification cards are checked and verified, a process that takes much less time than the standard interrogation by a border agent.

Schumer said that the NEXUS program will free up federal agents and border inspectors, allowing them to spend more time tracking serious criminals and immigration offenders. "This is a win-win situation," Schumer wrote. "We can boost security by not wasting precious time and resources checking and re-checking honest and law-abiding commuters. At the same time, passengers benefit from a swifter and easier border crossing process."

Schumer also said that the Champlain/Lacolle border crossing is the only one of the Smart Border Accord's top priority border crossings that is not currently scheduled to receive both FAST and NEXUS. The Smart Border Accord is an agreement between the US and Canada intended to boost security at border crossings.

The Champlain/LaColle crossing will receive the FAST program next month. But FAST, similar to the NEXUS program, only applies to commercial traffic, and not passenger traffic.

Last month, Schumer spoke at the first ever Champlain/LaColle Border Summit, sponsored by the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, an event attended by 150 business and government leaders who met to discuss issues unique to the North Country border communities. In his speech, Schumer said that the border was understaffed and vowed to continue pressuring the Administration to make needed upgrades in security, such as the addition of the NEXUS program.

The NEXUS program is an effort between the US Customs Service and the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, as well as Canada's version of each agency. It is currently operating at four US-Canada border crossings, three in Washington state/British Columbia, and one in Michigan/Ontario. The program will be installed at the Buffalo/Ft. Erie bridge in January 2003.

For a copy of Schumer's letter click here.

###