Outbound border inspections that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) started deploying at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway ports of entry in Blaine have some residents scratching their heads without clear answers from CBP on why it’s increased outgoing inspections.
CBP officers began conducting outbound inspections, where they searched vehicles traveling into Canada, throughout the day and into late evening on May 1 and continued the searches through May 5. The inspections backed up traffic into Blaine itself at times, including on May 2, when vehicles lined I-5 to the H Street bridge and clogged the D Street roundabout. There were numerous reports of waits of up to 3.5 hours with every car being searched, and drivers questioned as they queued into one lane before approaching Canada customs. As of May 7, inspections had become periodic.
The inspections have occurred while only two or three southbound lanes are open at the Peace Arch border crossing, causing longer wait times to enter the U.S. CBP public affairs specialist Jason Givens wrote in an email to The Northern Light that CBP was fully staffed at all ports of entry in the Pacific Northwest, and that “CBP works to maximize the number of open passenger lanes while responding to real-time operational needs.”
The outbound customs inspections and the lengthy backups gained the attention of national Canadian news outlets and appeared only to be at the Blaine crossings.
“As part of its national security mission U.S. Customs and Border Protection routinely conducts inspections on outbound traffic,” Givens wrote in a statement. “These inspections are a vital tool in apprehending wanted individuals as well as in seizing a variety of contraband – which ultimately makes our communities safer.”
The Northern Light emailed acting Seattle District Field Office director Greg Alvarez who oversees the Blaine area ports to request information about the justification behind the outbound inspections while few inbound booths were operational; why outbound inspections were only taking place at the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings; whether a risk assessment had been made that determined the outbound inspections were necessary given the significant impact on traffic flow and whether any individuals had been apprehended or contraband seized as a result of the inspection regime.
In response, Givens sent a statement attributed to Alvarez that gave an overview of CBP operations and did not specifically respond to the questions submitted. It concluded with the statement, “If you wish to request information regarding the number of apprehensions and seizures that have occurred as a result of outbound operations, a formal request can be submitted via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
Blaine immigration attorney Len Saunders said he’s never seen outbound inspections last as long as these in the almost 25 years that he’s been in Blaine. Previously, outgoing inspections only lasted for a half-day at the most and appeared targeted, seeking possibly an Amber Alert child or suspected drug trafficker, he said.
“It seems like they’re targeting everyone,” Saunders said.
Saunders said he was concerned because few lanes recently have been open at the Blaine border crossings, creating traffic that he believed could compound on the negative impact of fewer Canadians shopping in Blaine.
“I think their priorities are all wrong here,” Saunders said.
Ship49 general manager Josie Frodert said, if they continued, she believed the additional checks would reduce the number of Canadians visiting the parcel store, where business is already down 80 to 85 percent.
“Everyone is losing trust,” Frodert said. “No one wants to come down.”
Frodert said she’s never seen inspections like these in the nearly three years she’s worked at the store, which abuts the Pacific Highway truck crossing.
Blaine city manager Mike Harmon said he believed impacts to the city from additional checks were minimal and short-lived.
“The city of Blaine supports the hard work of women and men who are working to secure our borders,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “From time to time, a variety of factors affect operations at the border, which impacts local traffic; however, representatives from customs communicate with the city, and we deploy local resources to assist with traffic as needed.”
Blaine police chief Rodger Funk said the police department only received one call about traffic during the outbound inspections, adding that he wasn’t concerned about the additional inspections causing public safety issues within the city.
“This is something they’ve done in the past,” Funk said, referring to CBP.
Social media was awash with comments about the additional border security, both from people stating the procedure was uncommon and needed an explanation as well as comments from people who said the inspections were routine.
The checks come as political tensions between the U.S. and Canada have heightened concerns for some people about crossing the U.S./Canada border. Canadian and U.S. national news stories have focused on phones being searched at the border and travelers sent to detention centers, as some Canadians boycott the U.S. due to tariffs and Trump’s threats about Canada becoming a 51st state.
Bonnie Arellano has just recently been named acting Blaine area port director, Givens confirmed. She has taken the place of Harmit Gill who has been temporarily transferred to Buffalo, N.Y. Givens did not say why or when Gill was transferred, or what his position was in New York.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Arellano earned her bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix and was a leadership institute graduate from the University of Virginia. Arellano most recently was assistant port director at the Calexico West Port of Entry near San Diego, a position she held since September 2023.
In his emailed responses, Givens did not indicate whether the new port area director was responsible for instituting the outbound inspections.
“Nothing surprises me these days at the border,” said Saunders, the immigration lawyer.
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