The delays also result, Bowker said, from customs managers beefing up inspections staff during peak weekend and holiday periods by borrowing from the slower, weekday shifts. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge reported a 50-minute delay on Monday.

But he also explained that CBP places primary emphasis on interdicting drugs, smuggled goods and people at the border. With more illegal activity, more personnel could be shifted from inspection to enforcement. He pointed to Ontario’s legalization of marijuana as an example, as more U.S. citizens bring the drug home, causing a “drastic increase” in seizures at all New York State crossings from Canada.

From October 2017 to July 2018, he said, customs made 670 seizures of about 590 pounds of marijuana, because it remains illegal in the United States and CBP has instituted a “zero tolerance” policy. From October of 2018 to July, those figures jumped to 786 seizures and more than 3,000 pounds.

His agents are also on the lookout for weapons, wanted criminals and child pornography.

“It’s a delicate balance, but the enforcement stuff has to take place,” he said. “So if there is a delay of 15 to 30 minutes, we consider that acceptable because we’re trying to focus on the enforcement mission.”