Clash Over Whether US Officers Can Be Armed in Canada Keeps Nexus Centres Closed

A motorist scans a Nexus card as another speaks with a Canada Border Services Agency officer at a primary inspection booth at the Douglas-Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, B.C., on Feb. 5, 2020. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

A dispute over legal protections for American customs officers has kept Nexus enrolment centres closed in Canada more than three months after they reopened south of the border—due in part to a clash over U.S. agents’ right to carry guns on Canadian soil.

The standoff has led to a massive backlog in applications for the program, which allows pre-approved travellers to cross the border more quickly.