Gianforte Urges Biden To Open Northern Border
After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, Sept. 20, it again would extend the closure of the border between the U.S. and Canada for another month, Gov. Greg Gianforte urged President Joe Biden to fully reopen the northern border for trade and travel after months of repeated delays. “While our nation’s southern border remains porous and insecure, with drug cartels and human traffickers taking full advantage of the situation, the federal government continues to lock down our northern border, hurting Montana families and our small business owners who depend on trade and travel and who have suffered from the border’s closure for more than 18 months,” Gianforte wrote to the president.
The governor outlined the real-world impact of the continued border closure on hardworking Montana families, citing a small business owner in Shelby who has lost 20 percent of his business. He also stressed the human impact of the administration’s policies, recounting heartbreaking stories he heard from families in a northern border community.
“Those who have been able to see their family have been forced to visit with a fence separating them, preventing them from embracing their loved ones. A mother described how her four-yearold son could not hug his dad. Given its impact on families, the continued closure of the U.S.-Canada border is unconscionable,” the governor wrote.
Gianforte concluded, “I respectfully request you reconsider the continued closure of the northern border and reverse DHS’s decision. It is time to safely, fully, and immediately reopen the border for trade and travel.
Gianforte has repeatedly called on Biden to reopen the northern border, which has been closed since March 2020. On July 21, DHS announced it was extending its temporary restriction prohibiting non-essential cross-border travel from Canada through at least Aug. 21.
In response, Gianforte, the governors of Idaho and North Dakota, and the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan on July 23 urged Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to work together to reach an agreement allowing for the immediate movement of citizens, goods, and tourists between the two nations.
