US Customs and Border Protection recorded approximately 199,000 encounters at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024, compared to 2.13 million at the Mexican border during the same period.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced plans to increase border security investments and impose stricter restrictions on unauthorized border crossings.
Drug seizures at the US-Canada border decreased significantly, with 5,245kg seized in 2023-2024, down from 25,000kg in the previous year, primarily consisting of marijuana.This follows an emergency meeting on Wednesday to address concerns over US Pres.-elect Donald Trump's recent promise to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports unless they curb illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.
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The proposed tariffs would cause economic harm to both nations while unfairly equating Canada's border situation with Mexico's vastly different circumstances. The threat ignores the fact that border encounters and drug seizures at the northern border are just a fraction of those at the southern border.