The Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), John Sanders announced last week that he has decided to reinstate full hours of operation at Raymond Port of Entry. Located on Highway 16 North of Plentywood, the Port of Raymond crossing went back to 24-hour status on April 23.

The reinstatement of around-the-clock status at the Raymond Port of Entry came after Congressman Greg Gianforte and Senator Steve Daines opposed CBP’s proposal to reduce hours of operation at Montana’s ports of entry and requested instead that CBP make a commitment to keeping Montana’s ports of entry operating at full status.

According to Daines, Montana’s rural economy strongly depends on trade with Canada, and the ports of Raymond, Morgan, Opheim, and Scobey are essential to farmers and ranchers. “Keeping the Raymond Port of Entry open at 24-hour status is a big win for rural Montana and jobs across our state,” Daines said.

Gianforte agreed by saying: “CBP’s decision is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to CBP listening to Montanans about the importance of leaving these ports open. Montana’s ports of entry are critical for farmers, ranchers, and business owners in eastern Montana.”

Custom and Border Protection officials will continue to monitor and analyze traffic and workload at the Raymond Port of Entry. As the review and reassessment process continues, they encourage community members to provide feedback at the following email address: OFOFEEDBACKMT@cbp.dhs.gov.