For Immediate Release
Office of Homeland Security
December 12, 2001
Action Plan for Creating a Secure and Smart Border
U.S. and Canada
An Efficient, Secure and Smart Border
 Specifics of Secure and Smart Border Action Plan
Public security and economic security are mutually
reinforcing. By working together to develop a zone of
confidence against terrorist activity, the United States and Canada
create a unique opportunity to build a smart border for the 21st
century, a border that allows the secure, free flow of people and
goods, a border that reflects the largest trading relationship in the
world.
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge led a U.S. delegation that
included representatives from the departments of Justice,
Transportation, Defense, State, and Treasury; and the offices of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the National Security Council,
Customs, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
ACTION PLAN FOR CREATING A SECURE AND SMART BORDER
Secure Flow of People
- Resume and evaluate
the NEXUS (Easy-pass) pilot project for two-way movement of
pre-approved travelers at Sarnia-Port Huron.
- Share Advance Passenger Information on
flights between Canada and the United States, and increase the number
of Canadian and U.S. immigration officers at overseas airports.
- Promote additional systems to identify
travelers who pose security risks while maintaining the current flow of
law-abiding people between the countries.
Secure Flow of Goods
- Devise and implement
innovative, smart technologies, including common cargo screening,
harmonized commercial processes at the border, and compatible security
standards to identify dangerous cargo while expediting the flow of
low-risk goods. This will include secure procedures to clear
goods on the factory floor, at rail yards, and at marine ports.
Secure Infrastructure
- Relieve congestion
at key crossing points by investing reciprocally in border
infrastructure and identifying technological solutions that will help
to speed movement across the border. Nearly 70% of traffic
and over 80% of the value of goods flowing between the two countries
passes through just six border crossings
Coordination and Information Sharing in the Enforcement of these
Objectives
- Strengthen coordination between law
enforcement agencies for addressing common threats.
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