US to open border with Canada, Mexico starting in early November

On Oct 13, 2021

The United States will lift restrictions at its land borders with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals in early November, in order curbs on non-essential travellers in place since March 2020.

U.S Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that, by next month the administration will begin allowing travellers from Mexico and Canada who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the United States for non-essential purposes, including to visit friends and family or for tourism, via land and ferry border crossings.

Lawmakers from U.S border states praised the move to lift the unprecedented restrictions, which had harmed the economies of local communities and prevented families and friends from seeing each other for 19 months.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, members of our shared cross-border community have felt the pain and economic hardship of the land border closures.

“That pain is about to end,” Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer said.

Unvaccinated visitors will still be barred from entering the US from Canada or Mexico.

The officials from President Joe Biden’s administration emphasised that the White House would not lift the “Title 42” order put in place by former President Donald Trump’s administration and which has essentially cut off access to asylum for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers seeking to enter from Mexico.

According to one of the officials, the precise date in early November when the restrictions will be lifted on both land and air travel will be announced very soon.

Homeland Security said, “The administration was creating consistent, stringent protocols for all foreign nationals traveling to the United States whether by air, land, or ferry.”

Kamila/Al-Jazeera