ROUSES POINT, N.Y. (WCAX) – Thirty-eight ports of entry across the northern border, including eight in our region, are slated to have their operating hours cut by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on January 6. The plan has New York’s governor and local officials raising the alarm.
“We just hope that people use this port in the hours that they are able to,” said Matt Hammonds, the co-owner of Freenchez, a restaurant in downtown Rouses Point, New York, one of the communities slated to close overnight. “Having the border right there has really boosted our business for us, not just the Canadians coming down but all sorts of travelers.”
USCBP says cutting the hours at some crossings will allow them to funnel resources to the busiest ports of entry. At Rouses Point, the new open hours would be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. That means travelers will have to go elsewhere, like the Champlain Port of Entry, which could mean long wait times.
“It is not as congested as what it is at the main port of entry. And as lot of people know that live in this area that do use the main port of entry, sometimes you go there and there are only one or two booths that are open and you have a considerable wait time,” said Rouses Point Administrator Christopher Letromore.
The shortened hours could also impact public safety calls on both sides of the border. “I think the frustrating part when they have these changes, these hour changes, is that you could have a fire that is right across the line,” said Champlain Fire District Chief Chris Trombley. He says they have a mutual aid partnership with four other departments in Canada. “If you go into Mooers or on the outskirts of Rouses Point, they may have to — depending on the time, if the outlying borders are closed — they may have to come to the main port and backtrack.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said she strongly opposed the USCBP changes.
