The Department of Homeland Security through Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Border Patrol is tasked with securing U.S. air, land and sea points-of-entry while simultaneously facilitating and streamlining lawful trade and travel.
America and Canada share a border of more than 5,000 miles stretching along the continental U.S. and Alaska.  In contrast, the U.S. and Mexican border is approximately 1,969 miles long.  On average, 45 million vehicles enter the U.S. annually along the Northern border by way of numerous ports-of-entry.  Click here to see a video regarding “Border Crossing 101“.
Since 9/11, DHS has initiated critical security improvements along the Northern border including additional hiring of key personnel, infrastructure and technology upgrades as well as bolstering cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada.
As a result of information sharing between U.S. and Canadian authorities, databases are continually being updated and an applicant for entry to the U.S. may find that decades-old immigration or criminal records have surfaced, calling into question their eligibility for admission to the U.S.  These issues may be overcome by applying for a nonimmigrant waiver which will be addressed in our next post.
If you have been refused admission to the U.S. due to a prior immigration or criminal matter, Berardi Immigration Law can assist.  Please contact us at 1-877-721-6100 or send us an e-mail by clicking here.
Page summary:  The U.S. and Canadian border have increased security measures and law enforcement agencies may share criminal records.