Slaughter Pushes for Expanded NEXUS Use

Associated Press

By Carolyn Thompson

The NEXUS program for no-wait, cross-border travel is underutilized in New York, partly because Americans don’t want to get snarled in Canada-bound traffic to sign up, said U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, who on Friday outlined proposed changes to the program.

In more than two years, the region has enrolled just 18,000 travelers in the pre-clearance program, Slaughter said, compared to more than 40,000 NEXUS users along the Washington state border.

Meanwhile, congestion at the border continues to slow trade and cost money, she said.

“The NEXUS card provides one of the most comprehensive security checks of international travel that is available today,” Slaughter, D-N.Y., said before helping to open a second NEXUS lane at the busy Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, Ontario.

But “despite its clear benefits,” she said, “the NEXUS program continues to have the look and feel of a pilot program.”

Slaughter’s amendment to the Homeland Security bill would establish remote enrollment centers, as well as a customer service telephone number. The amendment, which passed in the House, also would link NEXUS land and air cards, which currently require different information from applicants. Land NEXUS users, for example, are fingerprinted, while air travelers submit to iris scans.

“I don’t know about you but something that would make it easier for me to get on an airplane as well as get across this bridge would be worth it to me at almost any price,” she said.

A five-year pass costs $50.

Ron Reinas, general manager of the bi-national Peace Bridge Authority, which operates the span, said the NEXUS lanes free customs agents to concentrate on passengers requiring greater investigation, thereby improving security.

“That’s why customs likes it, the low-risk travelers are streamed through,” he said.

But NEXUS is hardly a free pass. To receive the card, travelers must fill out an application, undergo a background check and submit to a face-to-face interview with U.S. and Canadian authorities, where they are fingerprinted and photographed.

There are currently five enrollment centers, in Blaine, Wash.; Fort Erie, Ontario; Detroit and Port Huron, Mich., and Champlain.

Slaughter’s amendment would establish at least four remote centers away from the border to process NEXUS applicants, as well as those for the FAST program for commercial cargo vehicles and SENTRI program for cars and pedestrians at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Slaughter said the United States loses $4.13 billion a year due to border congestion.