Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “all of you know that I represent Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Port of Entry at the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor Tunnel…”

“all of you know that I represent Detroit, Michigan. The Detroit Port of Entry at the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor Tunnel and Blue Water Bridge handles 40 percent of the trade between U.S. and Canada. More than $1 billion in trade crosses the U.S.-Canada border every day. The auto industry makes up one third of that trade. The auto industry operates under ``Just in Time'' inventory systems, and the quick, efficient processing and clearance of auto parts is essential to the industry's survival. Detroit border crossings accommodate over 61 percent of all cross- border truck traffic along the U.S.-Canada border. It is the largest border truck crossing area in the nation. Long limes and 15-hour traffic backups are not unusual. In the days following the September 11th assault, the border--for all practical purposes--was shut down. The U.S.-Canada border embodies 40 percent of the total U.S. ports of entry, has only 14 percent of U.S. Customs primary inspectors who perform 33 percent of the U.S. Customs national workload. The number of Customs inspectors along the U.S.-Canada border is less than 900. That number has been relatively constant since the Reagan Administration, although the cross border commercial transactions have increased 600 percent. We need to address the imbalance. Since September 11, our border enforcement personnel have been on Level One security alert.”