Jacobs joins families to call for reopening of US-Canada border

Calls for answers and action from president & prime minister

At a press conference at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, Congressman Chris Jacobs called for transparency on reopening deliberations, and a plan to allow families to reunite on June 22 – when the current travel restrictions expire. Families who have been separated by the border closures joined Jacobs.

He said, "16 months of family separations is simply unacceptable, and this cannot go on any longer. For months, these families have dealt with uncertainty and heartbreak while they wait to hear if they will be able to reunite. Case rates are dropping in both nations and vaccines are rolling out – these continued indefinite extensions are nothing short of a failure of leadership from both nations. Today, I am calling for two specific things: answers and action.”

The U.S.-Canada Border has been closed to nonessential travel since March of 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In May of 2021, the Canadian government announced the border would remain closed until at least June 21.

Jacobs, a member of the House northern border caucus, said, “There can be no more inaction or stalling from the American and Canadian governments. I’m proud to stand with these families to call for the border to be reopened, and I will pursue every avenue possible to see that these families get answers.”