Pembina–Emerson Border Crossing
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The Pembina–Emerson Border Crossing is a United States-Canada port of entry (POE) that connects the U.S. city of
Pembina, North Dakota Pembina () is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 512 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pembina is located south of the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border. Interstate 29 in North ...
and the Canadian community of
Emerson, Manitoba Emerson is an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district (LUD) in south central Manitoba, Canada, located within the Municipality of Emerson – Franklin. It has a population of 678 as of the 2016 Canada census. Location an ...
. On the American side, the crossing is connected by
Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...
(I-29) and
U.S. Route 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...
in
Pembina County Pembina County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,844, and was estimated to be 6,588 in 2024, The county seat and the largest city is Cavalier. History For thousands of years, various i ...
, while the Canadian side is connected by
Manitoba Highway 75 Provincial Trunk Highway 75 (PTH 75, also officially known as the Lord Selkirk Highway) is a major highway in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is the main link between the city of Winnipeg and the Canada–United States border, United ...
in the
Municipality of Emerson – Franklin The Municipality of Emerson – Franklin is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Manitoba. History The municipality was created on January 1, 2015 via the amalgamation of the RM of Franklin and the Town of Emerson. It was ...
. Over one million travellers are processed at this border crossing each year, making it the second busiest along the
Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...
west of the
Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
, behind only the
Pacific Highway Border Crossing The Pacific Highway Border Crossing connects the city of Blaine, Washington and the city of Surrey, British Columbia on the Canada–US border. Interstate 5/Washington State Route 543 on the American side joins British Columbia Highway 15 on th ...
between
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
and
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
. The Pembina border station is the easternmost in
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, located approximately west of the
Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...
, the state's boundary with
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. A separate border crossing between Emerson and nearby
Noyes, Minnesota Noyes ( ) is an unincorporated community in St. Vincent Township, Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the state on the Canada–United States border, Noyes is the northern terminus of U.S. Hig ...
was in operation until 2006. The POE sits along an international trade corridor, making it an important commercial port for both countries. It is among the top five Canada-US crossings in terms of truck trade value, which was at (
approx. An approximation is anything that is intentionally similar but not exactly equal to something else. Etymology and usage The word ''approximation'' is derived from Latin ''approximatus'', from ''proximus'' meaning ''very near'' and the prefix ' ...
) in 2011. Likewise, around 360,000 commercial trucks crossed at this location in that year, which grew to around 400,000 by 2013. This number is forecast to grow by about 58% by the year 2035. The Pembina and Emerson ports also manage the rail inspection stations next to the former Noyes–Emerson East border crossing, where the
BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...
connects with the
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
and the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
connects with the
Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...
, its U.S. subsidiary.


History

In 1871, the port of Emerson was established as the first land border customs station in Canada. It was created to protect and ultimately collect
duty A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; , past participle of ; , whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, e ...
for trade with the
Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...
that was attacked in a Fenian Raid, and subsequently liberated by the U.S. Cavalry earlier that year. Though no longer active, the original customs building in Emerson still stands today. For many years, there were two roads entering Canada at Emerson: the popular
Jefferson Highway The Jefferson Highway was an automobile highway stretching through the central United States from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. The Jefferson Highway was replaced with the new numbered US Highway system in the late 1920 ...
(
U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...
) entered from
Noyes, Minnesota Noyes ( ) is an unincorporated community in St. Vincent Township, Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the state on the Canada–United States border, Noyes is the northern terminus of U.S. Hig ...
, and the
Meridian Highway Meridian Highway was a United States auto trail in the early twentieth century. It roughly followed the path of present-day U.S. Route 81 from Pembina, North Dakota to Fort Worth, Texas, and Interstate 35 from Fort Worth to Laredo, Texas. Histor ...
(
U.S. Route 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...
) entered from
Pembina, North Dakota Pembina () is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 512 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pembina is located south of the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border. Interstate 29 in North ...
. All Canada-bound traffic was directed to the brick customs building in downtown Emerson, which has since been converted into the Emerson Health Centre. In the mid-1950s, Canada built separate inspection stations at the border on both roads. The crossing across from Pembina was called "West Lynne"—the name of the small village that had been absorbed by the Town of Emerson in 1883—while the larger crossing across from Noyes was known as "Emerson East." The modern Pembina–West Lynne border crossing opened in 1964 while
I-29 I29 may refer to: * Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota ...
was under construction (the final section of I-29 from
Joliette Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...
to the border was not completed until 1977). The facilities on the former U.S. Route 81 located a short distance to the east were closed and demolished a few years later. The completion of I-29, together with the reconfiguration of Manitoba Highways 75 and 29 in the 1980s, diverted most cross-border traffic to Pembina–West Lynne, which supplanted Noyes–Emerson East as the region's main crossing for both commercial and passenger traffic. The Canadian and American governments closed the Emerson East and Noyes border stations in 2003 and 2006, respectively, and merged rail inspection operations with the ports at West Lynne and Pembina. The West Lynne border station was renamed Emerson following the closure of Emerson East in 2003. Both countries initiated expansion projects in 2017 to significantly upgrade facilities and road infrastructure at the border crossing. This was the first renovation project for the U.S. POE since 1996 and for the Canadian POE since 1999. The upgrades at the border station were completed in 2018; however Manitoba's provincial government remains in the process of redeveloping PTH 75 at Emerson. A proposal was submitted by local authorities in 2019 to establish a
port authority A port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure. ...
on the Canadian side to manage commercial activities and public infrastructure in the vicinity of the Emerson border station. This proposal remains under review by federal and provincial authorities as of October 2020.
Fort Dufferin Fort Dufferin is a former Canadian government post near the Canada–United States border at Emerson, Manitoba. The fort was used during the 1870s as a base for the North American Boundary Commission and the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), ...
is a Canadian historic site located near the Pembina–Emerson crossing. The fort is a former Canadian police post and base for the North American Boundary Commission, which surveyed and marked the international border as defined in the
Treaty of 1818 The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, is an international treaty signed in 1818 betw ...
. Fort Dufferin was later used as a customs and immigration for steamboats entering Canada via the Red River.


Illegal immigration

The number of persons crossing the border illegally into Canada (referred to as "irregular migrants") through the Emerson-Pembina-Noyes area increased significantly following then-U.S. President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's '' Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States'' executive order in January 2017. However, the port had begun to see a considerable increase of irregular migration as of early 2016, prior to the election of Trump as president later that year. The increased levels of asylum seekers trying to enter Canada at the Pembina-Emerson and former Noyes-Emerson border crossings and other regions along the international border have garnered international media attention, resulting in the Canadian government renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. government. The majority of recent irregular migration has been by migrants from African nations seeking asylum in Canada to avoid potential
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
from the U.S. Although persons claiming refugee status are not permitted to migrate to Canada from the U.S. (or vice versa) under the two countries' Safe Third Country Agreement, asylum seekers who have crossed the border illegally in some cases have been allowed to stay in Canada while their applications are processed. The practice of crossing the border illegally is not without danger, especially during the cold prairie winter. On December 24, 2016, two
Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...
men successfully made it across the border into Canada by walking several miles along the Red River in sub-zero temperatures but suffered severe
frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...
that required amputation of their fingers. A 57-year old Ghanaian asylum seeker died of
hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...
while attempting to cross into Canada via the closed Emerson–Noyes border crossing in May 2017. In January 2022, four members of an Indian family, including an infant, were found dead in a field near the border approximately east of Emerson. The family was part of a larger group attempting to enter the U.S. during a cold spell in which local overnight temperatures had dropped to with the
wind chill Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...
.


See also

*
List of Canada–United States border crossings This article includes lists of border crossings, ordered from west to east (north to south for Alaska crossings), along the Canada–United States border. Each port of entry (POE) in the tables below links to an article about that crossing. On th ...
* International Mid-Continent Trade Corridor *
Noyes–Emerson East Border Crossing The Noyes–Emerson East Border Crossing is a closed Canada–United States port of entry that formerly connected the communities of Noyes, Minnesota, and Emerson, Manitoba. On the American side, the crossing was connected by US Highway 75 ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pembina-Emerson Border Crossing Canada–United States border crossings Emerson, Manitoba Interstate 29 U.S. Route 81 1871 establishments in Manitoba 1871 establishments in Dakota Territory