Press Release - Action Plan for Creating a Secure and Smart Border

Public security and economic security are mutually reinforcing. By working together to develop a zone of confidence against terrorist activity, the United States and Canada create a unique opportunity to build a smart border for the 21st century, a border that allows the secure, free flow of people and goods, a border that reflects the largest trading relationship in the world.

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge led a U.S. delegation that included representatives from the departments of Justice, Transportation, Defense, State, and Treasury; and the offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the National Security Council, Customs, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

ACTION PLAN FOR CREATING A SECURE AND SMART BORDER

Secure Flow of People
- Resume and evaluate the NEXUS (Easy-pass) pilot project for two-way movement of pre-approved travelers at Sarnia-Port Huron.
- Share Advance Passenger Information on flights between Canada and the United States, and increase the number of Canadian and U.S. immigration officers at overseas airports.
- Promote additional systems to identify travelers who pose security risks while maintaining the current flow of law-abiding people between the countries.

Secure Flow of Goods
- Devise and implement innovative, smart technologies, including common cargo screening, harmonized commercial processes at the border, and compatible security standards to identify dangerous cargo while expediting the flow of low-risk goods. This will include secure procedures to clear goods on the factory floor, at rail yards, and at marine ports.

Secure Infrastructure
- Relieve congestion at key crossing points by investing reciprocally in border infrastructure and identifying technological solutions that will help to speed movement across the border. Nearly 70% of traffic and over 80% of the value of goods flowing between the two countries passes through just six border crossings

Coordination and Information Sharing in the Enforcement of these Objectives
- Strengthen coordination between law enforcement agencies for addressing common threats.