The United States and Canada have long enjoyed a collaborative law enforcement relationship. Through joint threat assessment, investigations, operations, and support for prosecutions, consistent with our respective domestic laws, we have made both countries more secure while facilitating lawful travel and trade. Three ongoing partnerships are key to facilitating cross-border law enforcement collaboration:
- ShipRider pilot program – Under the ShipRider pilot, officially known as Integrated Cross-border Maritime Law Enforcement Operations (ICMLEO), cross-designated officers perform joint patrols in the maritime areas between our countries, removing the maritime border as an impediment to law enforcement operations. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are the primary ShipRider participants.
- Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBETs) – IBETs enhance border integrity and security between designated ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada border by identifying, investigating, and interdicting persons, organizations, and goods that threaten the national security of one or both countries or that are involved in organized criminal activity. The five core IBET agencies are: RCMP; the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and the USCG.
- Border Enforcement Security Taskforces (BESTs) – BESTs are multi-agency teams that identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle criminal organizations posing significant threats to border security. BESTs, which are ICE-led, utilize co-located and cross-designated investigative assets of federal, state/provincial, local, and tribal law enforcement partners on both sides of the border to investigate transnational crime.
Additionally, through the U.S.-Canada Cross Border Crime Forum (CBCF), the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General meet with the Ministers of Public Safety Canada and Justice Canada to discuss and advance initiatives that address cross-border criminal activity.
Through the Beyond the Border Action Plan, the United States and Canada commit to further enhance cross-border law enforcement collaboration. Among other initiatives, our countries intend expand ICMLEO ShipRider, enhance cross-border radio interoperability, and build on the success of ShipRider, IBET, and BEST to pilot the next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement. These efforts will be coordinated by the CBCF.
Read more about our joint law enforcement efforts in the Beyond the Border Action Plan.