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Federal border officers’ duty to safeguard Canada trumps the right of Mohawks to freely travel their Akwesasne territory that straddles Ontario, Quebec and New York state, a judge has ruled.

Two Akwesasne women had tried to assert an “aboriginal right to mobility to travel freely” within the territory for family or community purposes, and claimed that having to check in at the Cornwall, Ont., port of entry violated their Charter rights.

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But in a new ruling, Judge Peter Griffiths of the Ontario Court of Justice said the inconvenience of checking in at the border was minimal and necessary to ensure national security.

The Cornwall border crossing has a “proven history of smuggling of arms, people and contraband” and the Canada Border Services Agency’s mission is to ensure the security of Canada by managing the access of people and goods, the judge said.

“The evidence of senior (CBSA) officers was clear that, without a requirement that each person seeking entry into Canada report in person at the border without delay, the integrity of the border would be severely at risk,” the judge said.