An announcement by the Department of Homeland Security to expand the requirements for entry into the U.S. at the Northern Border to include proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for essential travel is facing opposition from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.

“The Biden Administration is forcing our Northern Border recovery to take a step backwards,” Stefanik said. “Essential travel has been allowed to continue unimpeded throughout the pandemic, ensuring vital trade and cross-border supply chains are not disrupted. Imposing new mandates two years into the pandemic, at a time Americans are already suffering from a supply chain crisis, is another misguided policy decision from the Biden Administration that will harm the North Country and needlessly strain the U.S.–Canada economic partnership. But I will continue to work to restore normalcy to our cross-border travel.”

In December, Stefanik wrote to President Biden urging him to abandon his administration’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for essential travelers.

These new requirements will go into effect beginning on January 22.