Congress hears drug seizures at U.S.-Canada border dropping despite Republican claims

Vehicles approach the United States border crossing as seen from Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., Thursday, April 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that there’s been a significant drop in drug seizures at the border with Canada.

Acting Deputy Chief Jason Schneider told the House committee on border security and enforcement that seizures at the United States’ northern border had dropped by 55 per cent compared to last year.

Drug seizures have increased in northern regions, Schneider noted, but not at the border with Canada. He said officers are finding drugs that were smuggled across the border with Mexico and transported north to the area.

Schneider also told lawmakers that there’s been a decline in the number of apprehensions of undocumented immigrants. Apprehensions are down around 22 per cent this fiscal year, he said, and they decreased 67 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024.

The testimony came as Republican lawmakers made claims that Mexican cartels are looking to Canada as the United States cracks down on smuggling at its southern border.

“Central American cartels already have operations in Canada,” Rep. Sheri Biggs of South Carolina alleged during the hearing. “Fentanyl precursors are brought into North America by the cartels in Vancouver, made into fentanyl and smuggled across the northern border.”

Canadian officials have acknowledged that Canada faces challenges with fentanyl but it’s largely a domestic problem. RCMP have said there is not a pervasive cartel presence in Canada.

Members of the Trump administration have made similar allegations despite U.S. government data showing a minuscule volume of fentanyl being seized at the border with Canada compared with Mexico.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in June said “the biggest concern we see is what’s happening on our southern border being pushed up to our northern border.”

Citing the flow of fentanyl, U.S. President Donald Trump declared an emergency at the northern border in order to hit Canada with tariffs last year.

Canada responded to Trump’s stated concerns with legislation and funding to boost border security. But the tariffs remained in place until they were knocked down by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.

Trump replaced the duties with a 10 per cent global tariff using Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Those tariffs don’t apply to goods compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known in Canada as CUSMA.

That duty will expire after 150 days unless Congress votes to extend it. The Trump administration is looking for a more long-term tariff by launching investigations into forced labour in supply chains, including in Canada.

Despite repeatedly presenting data about declining drug seizures during Tuesday’s hearing, Republicans continued to push border patrol officials on the state of the border with Canada and fentanyl.

“We’re not seeing a drastic change across the northern border,” said Chris Holtzer, the executive director of operations in U.S Customs and Border Protection’s field operations office.

The most the department has seen was a two-pound seizure of fentanyl in Blaine, Wash., Holtzer said. He added that “the bulk majority of what we see is coming across the southwest border.”

Canada and the United States share the longest land border of any two countries in the world. The border patrol officials spoke of some of the challenges that environment can present and ways the department is responding with boots on the ground and new technologies.

Schneider said the department is boosting its presence at the northern border and is looking to have 3,500 border patrol agents assigned to the area in the very near future.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2026.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press