What is Shared Border Management?
Shared Border Management (SBM) is a proposal currently under review that would shift most or all of the customs inspections activities to one side of the border. Agents from both sides would work in the host country. Including SBM, there are at least three possible operational scenarios that could be implemented at the Ambassador Niagara crossing. 1. The traditional scenario continues the current setting. United States agents work on the United States’ side while Canadian agents work on the Canadian side. This scenario leaves the bridge unprotected, as very little inspection occurs before the bridge is accessed. 2. Reverse customs, meaning that Canadian agents work in the United States and United States agents work in Canada, ensures that all vehicles are inspected prior to accessing the bridge. Because of the high level of security this scenario provides, this scenario was recommended by the Canadian Senate Committee on National Secuirty and Defence in its June 2005 report, “Borderlin
