Washington's reasons for keeping border closed to Canadians still murky a week later
Former ambassador says U.S. simply may not be prepared to open its land border
A week after the U.S. government surprised many by announcing the land border with Canada would remain closed for the time being, the exact reasons for that decision remain shrouded in secrecy.
Not even American members of Congress have been given a detailed explanation for the decision. Congressman Brian Higgins of New York said the lack of information is leading to confusion among his constituents.
"The silence from this administration about the northern border is maddening," said Higgins, who has been asking for a meeting with officials in the administration of President Joe Biden to get an explanation. "With the border now closed for 16 months and counting, the people deserve to know what it will take to reopen the U.S. border to Canadians."
Congresswoman Suzan DelBene of Washington State's office says she "remains frustrated that we haven't received a clear answer from the administration on why the closure was extended."
News that the U.S. land border would remain closed until at least Aug. 21 came just after Ottawa announced that fully vaccinated Americans would be able to enter Canada starting Aug. 9.
Many had expected the U.S. to follow Canada's lead. The U.S. closure order has been less stringent than Canada's from the beginning; it allowed air travel into the U.S., for example. The COVID-19 case count is lower in Canada than the U.S., and the vaccination rate is higher.
A week after it issued the notice that the U.S. land border would remain closed, the Department of Homeland Security continues to offer the same vague explanation.
"To decrease the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, the United States is extending restrictions on non-essential travel at our land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico through August 21, while ensuring the continued flow of essential trade and travel," Homeland Security spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said in a media statement.
"DHS is in constant contact with Canadian and Mexican counterparts to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."
Fear of the delta variant
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pointed to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggesting the decision to maintain border closures and travel restrictions was the result of its guidance.
"I think their decision was made based on the fact that the delta variant is more transmissible and is spreading around the world," Psaki said, pointing out that it's also spreading in the U.S. — particularly among unvaccinated Americans.
The CDC has yet to respond to questions from CBC News.
On Tuesday, the CDC stated that even those who are fully vaccinated can spread the COVID-19 delta variant. It now recommends that those fully vaccinated wear masks when they visit indoor public places in areas where there is a high degree of COVID-19 transmission.
One of the few people to offer any hint of what's gone on behind the scenes is Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"I can tell you that the border situation and letting Canadians in who are fully vaccinated is an area of active discussion right now in the U.S. government," he told CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Friday.
WATCH: Dr. Anthony Fauci says status of Canada/U.S. border the focus of "active discussion" in Washington
Former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman said the U.S. may not be quite ready to follow Canada's example by opening the border.
"It may very well have been that the U.S. said, 'We are not prepared and we have not yet decided on the process and procedures of opening our land borders as of yet,'" Heyman said, adding that Canada would not have announced it's loosening border measures if the U.S. had been uncomfortable with it.
The U.S. has yet to resolve some key questions about the land border, Heyman said — such as whether it's going to require proof of vaccination or COVID tests from people entering from the Canadian side.
"If we are, what test and what vaccines will qualify and what won't?" Heyman asked. "I think that's still unclear, what process the U.S. will impose."
Mexico is also a factor, he said.
The two-border problem
"Canada only borders the United States but the U.S. borders (Canada) and Mexico. And when making decisions about its border, it's highly complicated to say, 'On one of our borders we're doing x, and on the other border we're doing y,'" Heyman said. "If at all possible, you'd like to coordinate your entire border policy in one."
Mexico's low vaccination rate compared to Canada, and the aggressive spread of the delta variant in the U.S at a time when only half of eligible Americans are double-vaccinated, may also play into Washington's decision-making, said Heyman.
Ideally, he said, the U.S. government will make a decision on the border it won't have to quickly reverse.
"I hope that they make the decision as soon as they possibly can, but I hope they make a decision that is lasting," he said.
Maryscott Greenwood, Washington-based head of the Canadian-American Business Council, said part of the reason for the border remaining closed could be uncertainty about the vaccination status of those entering the country.
"I think part of the reason could be that the U.S. administration said that they're not going to validate, verify whether or not someone's vaccinated before they cross," she said.
Greenwood's group speaks regularly with U.S. government officials. She said she hopes the U.S. land border will reopen before Aug. 21 and the country doesn't apply the same rules to both its northern and southern borders.
"Policy makers and business leaders and communities, not just along the border, are all very frustrated with the decision to stay closed for another month," said Greenwood, adding some businesses might not survive.
"We're hoping that the administration will take another look at this next week and find a way forward to reopen the border to fully vaccinated Canadians. I know the White House is paying very careful attention to all of these voices and is trying its best to balance the pressures that it is getting."
Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca
