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U.S. troops possibly heading to Canadian border amid COVID-19 fears

Trudeau says government in talks with White House to keep border un-militarized
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is in talks with the Trump administration to keep the Canada-US border un-militarized.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the federal government is in talks with the Trump administration to ensure the Canada-US border remains un-militarized.  

Trudeau said it is in the best interests of both countries for the border to remain that way.

“Canada and the United States has the longest un-militarized border in the world, and it is very much in both our interests for it to remain that way. We have been in discussions with the United States on this,” said Trudeau during his daily briefing on COVID-19 Thursday, in response to a question from a Global News reporter.

Trudeau would not elaborate on those discussions.

Global News reported Thursday morning that American officials inside the White House are “actively discussing” putting troops near the Canadian border, due to security concerns about irregular crossings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to that report, the U.S. troops would be deployed within 30 kilometres of the border between official points of entry, and would use "sensor technology" to help detect irregular migrants. 

The Canada-US border was closed to all non-essential travel last week. Canada also agreed to turn back all irregular migrants during this time.

That border is the longest un-militarized border in the world. Over 400,000 people and $2.6-billion in goods and services cross the Canada-US border daily.

Canada implemented a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country, with the exception of people who work in essential services, such as health care workers and truck drivers.  

For all the latest COVID-19 news, click here.