(NewsDakota.com/NorthDakotaAgConnection.com) – U.S. Senator John Hoeven Tuesday announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will temporarily expand operating hours at the Maida, Northgate and Sherwood ports of entry (POE) in North Dakota. The announcement follows Hoeven and the North Dakota delegation pressing CBP to restore operating hours at northern POEs, having secured initial agreement from the agency in September to expand hours at these North Dakota ports. Hoeven has also repeatedly raised this priority with Pete Flores, Executive Assistant Commissioner of CBP’s Office of Field Operations.

With the agreement now finalized between CBP and the CBSA, the three North Dakota POEs will operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for 120 days beginning April 1, after which CBP will assess traffic volumes at the ports.

“Northern border communities rely on legal trade and travel between the U.S. and Canada for their livelihoods,” said Senator Hoeven. “Through my role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’ve been pressing CBP to return to normal operating hours at northern border ports of entry, and it’s past time that they moved this temporary expansion of hours forward. CBP and the CBSA reaching agreement on making this temporary extension at Maida, Northgate and Sherwood is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done. Additionally, it’s critical that the Biden administration gets the crisis at our southern border under control, as it continues to result in resources being pulled away from the northern border. Accordingly, we continue pressing President Biden to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and are working to provide the personnel, technology and infrastructure required to ensure all of our nation’s borders are properly secured.”

Hoeven has been working to bring attention to concerns along the northern border and provide more infrastructure, personnel and technology to North Dakota to help support Border Patrol agents and ensure the border is secure. To this end, Hoeven worked as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to secure provisions in annual funding legislation that:

– Requires CBP to prioritize and continue efforts to use incentives to recruit and retain personnel in rural and remote areas, including exploring new strategies.

– Provides resources for autonomous surveillance towers and the hiring of additional Border Patrol agents.

– Requires CBP to prioritize addressing staffing shortages at northern border ports of entry to expedite cross-border tourist and commercial traffic.

– Directs CBP to notify Congress within 15 days of redeploying more than 10 percent of staff in any sector along the northern border to the southwest border or other ports of entry, including the number and location of the personnel diverted, the duration of the temporary deployment, and when the personnel will return to their posts.