Travel from Canada to Michigan plummets amid tariffs, border scrutiny

• Border crossings from Canada to Michigan are down 11% from last year, with an 18% drop in car travel
• Border scrutiny has increased, with several hundred detained at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor
• A decline in tourism could hurt US border towns and lead to major economic losses

Crossings from Canada to Michigan have plummeted this year amid a trade war that prompted Canadian officials to discourage travel to the US and tighter border enforcement that one lawmaker says is also likely to blame.

The number of travelers crossing international borders into Michigan dropped 11% for the second consecutive month in March compared to the same time last year, according to the US Customs and Border Protection. 

Car traffic, which tends to be individuals and families, tumbled 18%.

That decline is bad news for Michigan businesses, which could end up as collateral damage to aggressive tariff and border security policies under President Donald Trump. 

Michigan officials, though, say they’re hopeful Canadians will continue to visit the state, where border cities like Detroit, Port Huron and Sault Ste. Marie benefit economically from Canadian traffic. 

“Michigan has a strong, long-standing relationship with our Canadian neighbors, driven by geographic proximity, shared cultural heritage, and a mutual love of the Great Lakes,“ Kelly Wolgamott, vice president of Pure Michigan, which promotes state tourism, said in a statement. 

“We will continue to extend a warm welcome to Canadian visitors as they explore destinations from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula.”

Border scrutiny

The fear of increased border security may be deterring Canadians from coming to Michigan, according to US Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat who said Thursday she was “not surprised” by the decline. 

“This is what happens (when) those stories of long-term detention, getting phones ripped away from you, trickles down to folks in Canada,” Tlaib told reporters on a press call focused on the status of people apprehended at the border. 

Related:

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According to data provided to Tlaib by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, which is ramping up efforts to deter illegal entries into the country, there were 213 people stopped at the Ambassador Bridge through March 21 of this year over questions about their immigration status. 

A border patrol spokesperson told Bridge Michigan that about half of those people were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It wasn’t immediately clear if that number represented an increase from previous years, but the length of time held at the small detention facilities at the bridge has increased, said Ruby Robinson, managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

In the past, detainees typically were released, often with a court date in hand, within 24 hours. Now, most who are picked up at the bridge are held for days until they are handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, she said. 

The status of those detained at the bridge wasn’t clear. “ I would assume some are undocumented,” Robinson said. “Others probably have temporary status like work authorization or are already in removal proceedings but not detained.”

According to Tlaib, a border officer told her that 90% of the people detained at the crossing had made a wrong turn in Detroit and ended up on the bridge connecting the U.S. with Canada. In one case, a mother and her U.S.-born children were detained when her GPS directed her to a Costco in Canada rather than in the U.S. That family was detained for five days in a makeshift holding cell in an office building on the U.S. side.

“These are our neighbors and families,” Tlaib said. “They should not be disappearing because they make a wrong turn.”

A Detroit border patrol spokesperson told Bridge that their office tries to “minimize the duration of any detention, with detention times being influenced by operational requirements, case complexity, and other factors. However, individuals’ choices and legal violations contribute significantly to the necessity of detention.”

Travel boycott

Some Canadian officials have urged residents to shop local and “not travel to the United States” amid an ongoing trade dispute. 

The travel boycott began after Trump began to target Canada – traditionally one of the US’s closest neighbors, allies, and trading partners.

The president referred to Canada as “the 51st state,” told the Canadian prime minister he wanted to redraw the border and later imposed a 25% tariff on some Canadian imports.

In addition to discouraging travel, Canada responded with a 25% tariff on some US goods.

On Wednesday, Trump said he might increase the current 25% tariff on Canadian-assembled cars even higher as he pushes to balance trade deficits he argues have harmed the US economy. 

"I really don't want cars from Canada," Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office. "...I'd rather see them made in Michigan and made in South Carolina and made in other states, Tennessee."

Nationwide, arrivals from Canada tumbled more than 17% last month, following a nearly 12% decrease in February. 

In Michigan alone, there were 143,275 fewer border crossings from Canada into Michigan by car compared to March of last year.

According to the US Travel Association, a 10% decline in Canadian tourism nationwide could result in the loss of 14,000 jobs and $2.1 billion in economic activity for the US

Border scrutiny

The Trump administration’s increased emphasis on border security has at times meant increased scrutiny for citizens of other countries just visiting the U.S.. Several countries, including Canada, have issued travel advisories warning that their phones and other electronic devices may be searched at the border. 

“They don’t need to provide a reason when requesting a password to open your device,” the advisory states. “If you refuse, they may seize your device. The border agent could also delay your travel or deny entry if you are not a U.S. citizen.”

Tlaib said that border patrol officers told her during a tour at the Ambassador Bridge in March that their facilities weren’t built for long-term detention. 

But one man detained at the bridge was held in a room for 12 days that was so small Tlaib could touch both walls with her outstretched hands,  before being transported to another facility in Michigan, the lawmaker said. Another man detained by the border patrol at the tunnel connecting Detroit and Windsor attempted suicide, according to Tlaib.

Robinson said the increased emphasis on detaining those with suspect immigration status has been a struggle for Michigan-based border patrol agents. 

“CBP (Customs and Border Protection) is an intercepting agency whose facilities are not designed for extended detention, but under this administration, prolonged detention with CBP is becoming increasingly more commonplace,” Robinson said. 

“I have no doubt that CBP staff are doing their best under the circumstances to provide the best care for the people in their custody. But we worry about what is happening in these non-public spaces, given the almost nonexistent transparency, accountability and access” lawyers and families have to detainees.