United States-Canada Joint Border Threat and Risk Assessment

This assessment provides U.S. and Canadian policymakers, resource planners, and other law enforcement officials with a strategic overview of significant threats along the 5,525-mile/8,891-km international boundary between the United States and Canada. These threats are categorized as follows:

• national security
• criminal enterprises
• migration
• agriculture, and
• health

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Background

This joint assessment was prepared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in support of the mandates of each respective agency.

The United States and Canada share a 5,525-mile/8,891-km international boundary separating Alaska from British Columbia and the Yukon, and running from Washington/British Columbia through Maine/New Brunswick.

It separates two friendly nations with a long history of social, cultural, and economic ties that have contributed to a high volume of cross-border trade and travel. On average, the United States and Canada each process over 70 million international travelers and 35 million vehicles each year along the U.S.-Canada border. The international boundary between the United States and Canada is often described as the largest open border in the world.