US-Canada Border-Crossing Fee Under Fire

A federal proposal to study a border-crossing fee for anybody entering the United States from Canada by land is meeting howls of protest from lawmakers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which is looking at ways to raise more money for border protection — wants Congress to authorize the study.

But Maine Sen. Susan Collins has ripped the request as a “misguided’’ plan that could end up hurting residents, the Bangor Daily New reports.

“For many border community residents, crossing the border is a way of life in order to access essential services, travel to their jobs, to shop and dine, to attend church, and to visit family and friends,” the Republican said.

Washington Democratic Rep. Suzan DelBene is also critical. Her spokesman told the Bellingham Herald: “We shouldn’t be studying ways to make [crossing the border] more onerous and hard.”

Canadian officials are also taking a negative view of a possible fee.

“It’s exactly the wrong way to go,’’ Canadian Chamber of Commerce President Perrin Beatty told the Toronto Star.“What this does is to bureaucratize the border, make it stickier, more costly, and thicker.’’