U.S. Customs and Border Protection is temporarily suspending operations at the Monticello, Maine Port of Entry starting on May 9 due to inactivity. CBP plans to resume operations there on October 1, 2021.
The Monticello Port of Entry (POE) is located on Fletcher Road in remote northern border farmland. Two CBP officers operate the POE from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Saturday.
A traffic volume study revealed that the Monticello POE processed 74 vehicles in the year since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented – March 20, 2020 to March 19, 2021. That’s an average of 0.25 vehicles per day. For comparison, from March 20, 2019 to March 19, 2020, the POE processed 1,497 vehicles, an average of 4.94 vehicles per day.
This temporary closure should have minimal impact on the local community.
CBP operates two nearby border crossings, one in Bridgewater, Maine, about nine miles north of Monticello, and another in Houlton, Maine, about 13 miles south. The Houlton POE is along major transportation systems, I-95 and Houlton International Airport, and is open 24-hours each day.
“Coronavirus has changed the way we all live and travel, and the present restrictions on non-essential cross-border travel have left the already underutilized Monticello Port of Entry even less essential,” said Jennifer De La O, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Boston Field Office. “As stewards of our citizen’s tax dollars, it would be fiscally reasonable and responsible to temporarily close the Monticello facility and reallocate the two CBP officers to help improve service during higher volume periods at nearby Ports of Entry.”
