The uncharacteristic chill in the warm relationship between Canada and the United States has led to fewer people crossing the border.
According to figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 8.1 million vehicles crossed the border into the US in February, a decline of 500,000 from the same month in 2024 and a drop of 900,000 from January 2025.
There has also been a decline in travellers making the trip. In February, 26.6 million people crossed, a sharp drop from the 31.1 million who did in January. There were 28 million travellers in February 2024.
The decline in overall border crossings came just as US President Donald Trump began threatening Canada with tariffs and repeatedly making quips about making Canada the "51st state".
When breaking the numbers down by port-of-entry, the decline is very apparent in Detroit, the busiest entrance point on the northern border. Only 398,000 people crossed the Ambassador Bridge or Windsor-Detroit Tunnel in February, down from 463,000 in January and 450,000 in February 2024.
Truck traffic in Detroit, a vital part of the Canada-US trade relationship, was down to 94,700 vehicles in February. That's down from 103,000 in January, and a drop from 126,000 in February 2024.
At the Blue Water Bridge going into Port Huron, Michigan, 196,000 people crossed during February, down from 226,000 in January and 208,000 in the same month of 2024.
Truck traffic to Port Huron, however, was up year-over-year with 96,300 trucks crossing this February, up from 72,700 in 2024. The comparison from January was steady, with only a drop of 1,000 trucks.
Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) spokesperson Jocelyn Garza said that while complete toll figures are not in for March, the drop so far is telling.
"For the tolls we manage, passenger traffic was down 13 per cent in February, and so far is down about 22 per cent for the month of March," said Garza. "This doesn’t change our operations, but it may impact operations for border control officers."
MDOT manages tolls going from the US into Canada.
The CBP's figures were current as of Wednesday, March 12.