US border officers install cable barrier along Canadian boundary

Aug 20 2020, 6:02 pm

A new cable barrier has been installed along parts of the US-Canada border by the Americans.

The new barrier is meant to address safety concerns in both nations, US Customs and Border Protection told Daily Hive in a statement.

“This project addresses bi-national safety concerns related to a vulnerable section of the border located between Boundary Road in the US and Zero Avenue in Canada,” the statement read. “The construction project involves the installation of a cable barrier system along this section of the border. This barrier is designed to prevent vehicles from either accidentally, or purposefully, crossing the boundary and endangering citizens in both countries.”

Members from the USBP’s Blaine Sector from Washington State are overseeing the project.

“This safety cable barrier not only protects people in the United States and Canada, but it also aids in securing this portion of the border by deterring illegal vehicle entries in both directions,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Tony Holladay said in the release. “Locally in our community, trans-national criminal organizations have capitalized on this vulnerable area by smuggling both narcotics and people. The enhancement to this specific border area mitigates the threat posed by these dangerous criminal enterprises.”

Zero Avenue and Boundary Road have long been an easy target for smugglers looking to skip across international boundaries without passing through customs. In one notable case, the first known underground drug-smuggling tunnel between the US and Canada was discovered running from a hut on the northern side into an American house on the other.

Peter SmithPeter Smith

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