Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is urging the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to consider establishing a seasonal port of entry at the U.S./Canadian border along the Russell Road in Fort Fairfield.
“We’re doing our part to lobby the cause,” he said, “and to keep the road open the best possible way we can.” The request is in response to CBP’s recent announcement that it intended to close the road, a move that could harm Fort Fairfield’s local economy and impede access to the Aroostook Valley Country Club (AVCC) – a golf course which occupies space in both Fort Fairfield and Four Falls, New Brunswick – and local residences.
“While it is important that we continue our efforts to strengthen our borders and protect ourselves against the threat of terrorism, we must seek to do so in a way that does not unnecessarily hinder the travel of people who regularly cross the border and who pose no threat to national security,” said Collins. “Opening a seasonal port of entry at Russell Road properly balances security concerns with the practical realities in Fort Fairfield.”
Collins has worked closely with the town, which has expressed concerns over CBP’s proposed closing of Russell Road. In response, Collins sent a letter to CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham requesting the agency examine establishing a seasonal port of entry and expressing disappointment at the lack of action on the CBP’s part in addressing the effect on local residents.
“I am writing in response to the disappointing announcement by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that it intends to close Russell Road connecting the Aroostook Valley Country Club (AVCC) and several nearby residences in Fort Fairfield, Maine to Canada,” wrote Collins. “In a letter that I sent to you in April, I asked that CBP meet with local business and community leaders and develop a plan to accommodate community concerns. It does not appear, however, that CBP has identified a solution that addresses security concerns and accommodates local interests in providing access to the golf course and local residences.
“Canada operates a seasonal port of entry on this road. The U.S. operated a port of entry on the road, which closed during the 1950s. I respectfully request that you examine the possibility of CBP establishing a seasonal port of entry at the border along Russell Road between April and November while the AVCC is operational,” she wrote. “This solution would serve the security interest of identifying individuals entering the U.S. from Canada and also avoid harming the property values and economy of the area, including the AVCC whose survival would be jeopardized by closing access from Canada.”
David Ricker, president of the AVCC, said the proposed port of entry was an idea that he supports.
“I support her efforts very strongly, and I think it would be a workable solution to keeping the Russell Road open,” he said. “We’ve all got to work in the spirit of cooperation, and if we can come up with a viable solution that keeps everybody satisfied, I think that’s the best way to go.
“I think what Sen. Collins is proposing is something that everybody can live with,” said Ricker. “With a seasonal port of entry, the Canadian golfers would simply go through that border entry if it was there, while golfers from the U.S. would go out the way we’re going right now, park and go to the golf course. I think we all could live with that.”
At a town hall meeting held June 16 in Fort Fairfield, Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Mellia of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Houlton Sector told the more than 100 community members in attendance that his primary concern is vehicles.
“While a lot of the vehicles entering in are going down to the golf course to play golf, there’s also some that are doing illegal activity,” said Mellia. “We know of one person who has exploited the road’s weaknesses, so others will, too. The other part is … people keep asking me, ‘How many terrorists have come down that road?’ My answer to that is, ‘I don’t know who’s coming down that road.’ That’s my big fear. I don’t know. If I did know, we wouldn’t be here and we’d have control of that area.”
As the primary federal law enforcement agency between the ports of entry, the Border Patrol’s mission is to prevent the entry of terrorists and their weapons of terrorism: to enforce the laws that protect America’s homeland by the detection, interdiction, and apprehension of those who attempt to illegally enter or smuggle any person or contraband across the nation’s sovereign borders.
“My objective is vehicles and the possibility of a terrorist or a narco smuggler, or an alien smuggler utilizing that road and utilizing that weakness to come down that road,” said Mellia. “Canadian golfers can certainly go to the Fort Fairfield port of entry, come in through there and come up Russell Road and not get hassled at all. Golfers from Fort Fairfield can start right out. The threat of pedestrians coming across the golf course is minimal. My focus is vehicles.”
During the town meeting, other community members spoke about the elderly residents who live on the roads and were afraid everything from mail delivery to medical services could be impeded if the roads were ever blocked.
Mellia said future discussions will likely be held with the AVCC and landowners alike.
As of presstime, there was no response from Basham regarding Collins’ proposal.
Ricker said he has sent letters to Maine’s Congressional delegation on behalf of the AVCC.
