WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large) today called on Troy Miller, Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to immediately return the hours of operation for six Land Ports of Entry (LPOEs) in Vermont, to pre-pandemic levels, following the agency’s recent reduction of hours at a total of 38 crossings along the U.S.-Canada border.
The Delegation expressed concern about how reduced hours of operation at border crossing facilities in Vermont will negatively impact public safety, the local economy, and the availability of workers in critical industries. Sanders, Welch, and Balint also requested information from CBP on how the Biden-Harris Administration is utilizing funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bolster Vermont’s ports of entry, as well as the process and data used to decide to reduce operating hours at the ports.
“On November 20, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced a joint agreement to adjust the hours of operation for 38 ports of entry along the northern border, including reductions at six Land Ports of Entry in Vermont, beginning on January 6, 2025,” wrote the Delegation. “This joint agreement between CBP and CBSA will leave Vermont with only six LPOEs with 24-hour service, halving the number of LPOEs operating with 24-hour service prior to the pandemic. This decision will harm the communities of Alburgh, Canaan, Derby Line, North Troy, and West Berkshire, where the hours of operations are being reduced. This significant reduction in hours will increase border wait times and burden cross-border workers and employers.”
“While we know staffing is a challenge across CBP, the reduced border hours hurt border communities, as well as CBP employees. We have already heard from CBP employees who are seeing their hours reduced—a fact that flies in the face of CBP’s stated rationale for the reductions, to reposition staff and resources to other needed locations,”continued the Delegation. “As you know, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) dedicated $3.4 billion to modernizing 26 LPOEs throughout the country, including over $200 million for major construction projects at five of Vermont’s LPOEs: Highgate Springs, Alburgh Springs, Beebe Plain, Norton, and Richford—one of which will now permanently operate under reduced hours beginning January 6, 2024.”
The Delegation concluded: “We ask that you take immediate action to reverse your November 20th decision and return all facilities in Vermont to pre-pandemic hours.”
The Vermont Congressional Delegation’s request is supported by leaders and businesses that are invested in a strong Vermont economy and workforce:
“North Country Hospital is in Newport Vermont which is literally situated on the Canadian border. Our hospital is the northernmost hospital and the most rural hospital in the state of Vermont. Many of our employees are Quebec residents, we have nurses, physicians, and various technicians who treat our patients on a daily basis, like all hospitals we are a 365/24-hour business. With limited crossing hours, many of our valued and uniquely qualified providers from north of the board would no longer be able to work at our hospital. With our rural location, it would be impossible for us to replace those talented folks with Vermont residents. Patient care would suffer tremendously under these new border crossing hours we strongly request that the border crossing remain open 24 hours a day,”said Thomas Frank, CEO, North Country Hospital.
“At Jay Peak, we rely on a consistent flow of cross-border traffic for both staff members and our guests. Canadian visitation is vital to supporting Jay Peak and accounts for more than 50% of our overall gross revenue. These proposed hours virtually eliminate the ability for our overnight and evening staff to do their jobs and will force thousands of Canadian guests to reduce or eliminate stays here at the mountain. These changes would force us to cut staffing hours and negatively impact our bottom line. As an employer of more than 1,500 Vermonters, we understand budget and operating challenges—but returning North Troy Port hours to pandemic-era scenarios will create more problems than it tries to solve,” said Steven Wright, President and General Manager of Jay Peak Resort.
Read the full letter.
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