Concerns for Windsor border after officers promised to Quebec

Border agents from Windsor may go to Quebec after the CanadaBorder Services Agency said it will provide help after an influx of immigrants.

In a memo, the CBSA said interested officers can apply to help asylum seekers. The RCMP's latest figures indicate 7,612 people entered the country outside official ports of entry during the first four months of 2018. More than 7,300 of them have crossed the Canada-U.S. border into Quebec.

• Quebec has received 96% of asylum seekers making illegal crossings so far in 2018

If border guards do leave the area on assignment, it could end up slowing the border crossing in Windsor. Laurie Tannous, a special advisor at the Cross Border Institute said the area is already experiencing significant delays, with more expected to come.

"As you know being here in Windsor, every summer we are inundated with all sorts of traffic, so to hear that we could lose officers to a different location is definitely of concern," she said.

The CBSA memo said the assignment would start May 28, 2018 and go until September 16, 2018 or beyond.

One of the potential crossings that could be affected is the Ambassador Bridge. Stan Korosec, the director of Canadian Government Relations and Security with the Detroit International Bridge Company said not to worry. He spoke with the regional director from the CBSA.

"He said that we can be assured that if any CBSA officers are taken from this area to any major port that they're going to maintain the current levels. They'll supplement them from other not-as-busy ports of entry," he said.

Korosec said he knows tough decisions needed to be made, but feels confident that current staffing levels will be maintained at the bridge.

"They realize the importance, especially of our border crossing in Detroit, Windsor and what it means to commuters and to trade," he said.