Border delays take a toll on Vermont
WASHINGTON — Relatives are delayed for family gatherings. Business meetings are canceled or postponed. Canadians take their business elsewhere.
Long lines at Vermont’s land border ports of entry are taking their toll on travelers and on Vermont businesses, causing inconveniences, quality-of-life issues and revenue losses.
The delays coincide with a 19 percent decline in U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Vermont stations in recent years. Travelers say they have no problem leaving Vermont, but they sometimes wait more than an hour to return.
“You have to be clairvoyant to figure out when to travel (and) which border crossing to use to avoid such inconvenience and frustration,” Louise Larocque of Hinesburg wrote in an email to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
