WASHINGTON, D.C. —The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has informed Senators Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins that it intends to expand a pilot program at Estcourt, Maine to ensure that Maine residents who frequently cross the border will be able to so as needed. Senators Snowe and Collins, who have been working to ensure that the movement of residents in border towns not be restricted, have been informed by DHS Assistant Commissioner Thaddeus Bingel that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now planning to establish a Remote Port Entry Project (RPEP) at Estcourt.
“We have consistently maintained that measures to prevent terrorists and criminals from entering our country must not disrupt a way of life for many Maine residents who live in remote border communities and frequently travel back and forth between the United States and Canada ,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “We are very pleased that DHS has agreed to expand this successful program that will allow for easier travel between Maine and Canada —keeping our border open to our friends and closed to our enemies.”
Maine shares more than 600 miles of border with two Canadian provinces, Quebec and New Brunswick . Following the 9/11 attacks, DHS eliminated the Form 1 and Port Pass programs which allowed U.S. residents to use unmanned border crossings 24 hours a day. Senators Snowe and Collins argued that residents along the border had grown to depend on these two programs for access to medical and religious services, family events, and social activities—even to run their daily errands. As a result, in 2004 CBP initiated RPEP at St. Pamphile and St. Aurelie that permitted 24-hour access to pre-enrolled residents. Based on the success at St. Pamphile and St. Aurelie, last month CBP said it intended to expand the program at Forest City and Orient. Now, DHS says the program will be expanded to the border crossing in Estcourt.