November 27, 2009 Cornwall Standard Freeholder
CORNWALL - Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Mike Mitchell admits he was surprised to see the majority of residents polled about border officers returning to Cornwall Island are all for it.
The plebiscite of 1,562 community members showed that approximately 75% of residents in Akwesasne First Nation - which straddles the U.S.-Canada border - would prefer it if Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers reopened a post located on the island.
The Cornwall Island port of entry was shut down by the CBSA on May 31 during a Mohawk protest of the imminent arming of officers, which was due to happen the next day.
Six weeks later the CBSA opened a temporary port of entry in Cornwall at the base of the Seaway International Bridge, which created problems for Mohawks who were obligated to report to customs after visiting the U.S. side of Akwesasne.
"I also anticipated this response (to the plebiscite)," Mitchell said. "This situation has been forcing residents to come to the temporary (customs) site before they go home to Cornwall Island. If they don't, they get their car seized. So I think so many people saying yes to the border guards returning is out fear and intimidation."
Mitchell said travellers lined up at the customs port of entry can often spend more than one hour on north bridge's span.
"It seems they are trying to punish us into submission, but I'm sure they are finding we are not giving up," Mitchell said. "Our spirit is still strong."
Mitchell said it's important to note Akwesasne residents who want the CBSA to return want the officers back "in a responsible way."
He also wasn't surprised the plebiscite showed 41% of respondents were for the officers returning to Cornwall Island carrying guns. Mitchell calls the near split vote a product of the same intimidation that made residents say yes to the first question.
Mitchell said there is still room for negotiation on the arming issue.
"In the long run, it could be a good thing," Mitchell said. "If the CBSA went with the final deadline of 2016 to arm the officers on Cornwall Island, we would have room to work towards something positive."
Mitchell said that certain conditions, particularly an end to racial profiling and prejudicial behaviour by border officers, would have to fall in place first.
Border guards or otherwise, Mitchell says it's important his community have some form of protection and, therefore, doesn't see the desire for CBSA presence as a negative.
"The U.S. can have a negative effect on our community," Mitchell said. "I don't want to see Cornwall Island become a dumping ground for drugs and guns from the U.S."
Without the CBSA on Cornwall Island, travellers from the U.S. with a suspicious agenda can get onto the island without checking in with any law enforcement agency.
The only other agency policing the island is the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service.
Mitchell says he will continue to push for a third party to mediate the dispute with the CBSA because so far discussions have in no way resembled negotiations.
The grand chief is particularly anxious to talk about the community liaison position recently announced by the CBSA.
The position, which is meant to smooth relations amidst the CBSA and Akwesasne residents, has been an idea discussed for months, but Mitchell said there hasn't been any discussion since the CBSA announcement.
However, Mitchell said the long-held attitude of the Customs and Excise Union, which represents the officers stationed in Cornwall, "has the potential to undermine any future negotiations."
The grand chief characterized statements from the union as "inflammatory" and "bordering on hate literature."
Union president Ron Moran, who could not be contacted by press time, has said it's a small segment of Akwesasne's population who made relations with customs officers difficult by showing a significant "level of disregard for any law enforcement."
Moran said the officers won't go back to Cornwall Island under any circumstances because it has proven to be a very stressful work environment.
"The officers get along with the majority of the community," Moran said on June 9. "It's a small fragment of the community who are spoiling it for everyone else."
Allegedly some residents were deliberately difficult when questioned by border officers, refusing to answer or responding with verbal abuse and profane language.
Moran also pointed how the history of gun violence on the island, the most recent of which dated back to 2004, led to the Cornwall customs building being equipped with bulletproof glass.
Despite the union's position, Moran has also previously stated the union is supportive of filling out the complement of 37 officers which staffed Cornwall Island with anyone who could help engender more cultural sensitivity.
Mitchell said he is sympathetic to the reasons for the CBSA leaving Cornwall Island, but feels the situation has been exaggerated to push the Canadian government into supporting the decision.
The CBSA says it has taken note of the plebiscite results, but it will not return to the island unless officers can work there with all the tools necessary to do their job, including duty firearms.