For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
BUFFALO, N.Y.—Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers today traveled to Buffalo, N.Y. where he joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski to inspect border security operations and receive operational briefings from CBP and U.S. Coast Guard personnel in the region.
“The United States and Canada have made significant progress in implementing initiatives to ensure safe and secure trade and travel across our shared border, which is critical to the economic and national security of both of our nations,” said Acting Secretary Beers. “Through our joint efforts with Canada, we are facilitating cross-border business, strengthening our economic competitiveness and supporting millions of jobs in both countries.”
Acting Secretary Beers visited the Peace Bridge where he received an aerial tour and operational briefings from CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard, as well as a briefing on truck inspection operations. In March 2013, the United States and Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the CBP truck cargo pre-inspection pilot project, which provides CBP officers a designated area in Canada to conduct primary inspection activities for eligible truck traffic and drivers seeking to enter the United States, expediting legitimate cargo and travelers.
The United States and Canada are vital trading partners with over $612 billion in trade between the two nations annually, and through the Beyond the Border Action Plan, the Department of Homeland Security is committed to working with Canada to facilitate cross-border business.
Tomorrow, Acting Secretary Beers will participate in the 38th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montréal, and meet with international counterparts, including the ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, to discuss aviation security and efforts to secure the global supply chain. He will then tour CBP preclearance operations at the Montréal airport. Later that afternoon, Acting Secretary Beers will travel to Ottawa, Canada to meet with Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney, and tour the Canada Border Service Agency National Targeting Centre.
For more information, please visit www.dhs.gov.
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