Cross-border trips to the U.S. reach COVID lows with nearly 500,000 fewer travellers in February

Nearly 500,000 fewer travellers crossed the land border from Canada into the U.S. in February compared to the same month last year, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the latest sign that President Donald Trump's taunts and tariffs have shaken bilateral relations.

The number of travellers entering the U.S. in a passenger vehicle — the most common way to make the trip — dropped from 2,696,512 in February 2024 to 2,223,408 last month, reaching levels not seen since cross-border travel normalized in the post-COVID-19 era.

In fact, the number of travellers driving over the U.S. land border is the lowest it's been since April 2022, according to CBP data. The Canadian government didn't lift all travel-related restrictions, like testing and quarantine measures, until October of that year. The fact that the current flow of travellers is at the same level as when travel was much more arduous is revealing, experts say.

The data shows there was a sudden reversal in February, just as Trump was launching his trade war and ramping up his annexationist rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cross-border-trips-decline-235k-february-1.7485695