(Washington) Canadians need to look further south to see why the United States is not rushing to reduce travel restrictions on its shared border, where the border with Mexico raises a number of political questions. More thorny opposite the White House than its north.
Shared two U.S. Observers say allowing the trip back to one of the borders could be considered a boon between the country’s two closest neighbors. The risk of travelers arriving from Mexico could exacerbate the long-running refugee crisis in South America.
However, the Biden administration’s firm approach to controlling visitors from Canada is expected to be fully implemented next month. Despite the federal Liberal government’s plan to allow visitors, it has raised eyebrows in both countries, including experts.
“This is a black box on the US side,” said Larry Trotman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University in Bellingham. He argues that no information or communication has yet emerged as to the direction the US will take.
Canada announced on Monday that since August 9, the fully vaccinated U.S. Citizens and permanent residents will be allowed into the country, and the rest of the world will have to follow September 7. However, the rules for entering the United States remain unchanged.
A situation in which U.S. lawmakers and others want to relax the rules to begin to put pressure on the White House to follow Canada’s lead.
“It is time for the United States to integrate its border policy with science, facts and data. It’s too late to act. Open the US border to our Canadian neighbors, ”stressed Brian Higgins, the Democratic New York representative on Tuesday.
He says the plan promised earlier this year on the issue of Canadian travelers is still pending.
Eligible travelers currently residing in the United States and fully vaccinated with approved vaccines in Canada will have their 14-day isolation requirement removed from the second week of August, Canadian officials said.
The relaxation fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and permanent residents from July 5th.
Secretary of Defense Bill Blair has said he expects the United States to extend these measures, as both countries have done each month since the outbreak.
Even Justin Trudeau’s tone on travel restrictions is changing. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister once acknowledged that the attitudes taken by the two countries were “more asymmetrical” than most people believe.
Although crossing the border for essential purposes in both directions was often forbidden during times of health crisis, Canadians – whether vaccinated or not – were never barred from going to the United States for any reason, Trudeau said.
The Prime Minister, however, said that this asymmetrical relationship did not prevent him from acting in harmony with the United States.
“They will follow their own science, they will make their own decisions, and we will work with them. But Canada will no longer dictate what the United States should do about its border policy, rather than allowing it to dictate our border policy,” Justin Trudeau said.
Heavy bureaucracy
While US domestic politics has a role to play, it is worth remembering that customs and border security are a large, slow bureaucracy that may not be well suited to deal with policies that differ between the two borders, Larry Trotman pointed out.
“The way the system works is a big bureaucracy, I don’t think they want to do any pieces, just cut and paste from one place to another,” he explained.
“I do not know what the Biden administration really understands about what needs to be done on the southern border and how to deal with the large number of asylum seekers and refugee claims. There is probably a feeling;” If we open it, there will be more. ”
Recent changes to Canadian rules exempt children under the age of 12 from entering Canada with the full vaccine and eligible family members, except when wearing masks in public places and avoiding “joint spaces”.
All travelers must submit negative COVID-19 test results and proof of immunization before coming through the ArriveCAN application.
From August 9, all passengers will not be able to check in regularly. We will be satisfied with randomized tests to monitor the possible circulation of variants of COVID-19.
Until August 9, airports in Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton will also be added to the list of Canadian cities where international flights will be allowed to land. Passengers are not required to spend their first three isolated nights in a government-approved hotel.
MMe Like the Nexus system, Trotman believes that border authorities in both countries must find a way to treat vaccinated and unprotected passengers separately, which allows qualified and pre-approved travelers to cross the border quickly.
“I think this will be noticed,” he said. Not all borders have the infrastructure or the physical capacity to do something like this. ”
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