Concerned Canadians confronted Maine Governor Janet Mills on Tuesday over fears about traveling to the US under President Donald Trump.
At a Fredericton event with Premier Susan Holt, Mills reassured New Brunswick residents that Maine is safe and welcoming, despite federal agencies like Border Patrol and ICE being beyond her control.
Before the Q&A portion of the event, Holt referenced U.S. politics to once again urge New Brunswickers to vacation locally, an idea she’s promoted since the Trump administration first imposed tariffs on Canadian exports.
"Lots of people don't feel safe in the U.S. right now and for good reason, and until that changes, I think the climate for visitors will be difficult," she said.
Those fears, rooted in recent US policy shifts, particularly around immigration enforcement and rollback of transgender rights, have had real consequences: visits by New Brunswick residents to Maine have dropped by approximately one-third this year, a decline that is significantly affecting tourism and businesses along the border.
Mills used the event to reassure Canadian residents of Maine’s low crime rate and encouraged them to enjoy the state’s hiking, skiing, swimming, and shopping.
"You can do that safely," Mills told the crowd.
From the audience, Saint John Pride board member Vivian Myers-Jones told Mills about plans to attend Bangor Pride events this weekend, but said many in the community are too afraid to go.
"A lot of members of the queer community — a lot of Canadians feel unsafe, Canadians who are 2SLGBTQI+ absolutely feel unsafe going there,” Myers-Jones said.” It's a terrifying thing going down there right now.”
Fellow audience member and business owner David Dennis then said his Venezuelan-born wife refused a planned trip to Portland this year, despite his efforts to reassure her that her Canadian citizenship would protect her at the border.
"Her fellow countrymen had been targeted for deportation, and her comment was, 'I'm not going to the States this year,'" Dennis said.
Mills admitted she cannot control how the US Border Patrol or ICE operate in Maine, but noted they generally avoid disrupting close border communities like Calais-St. Stephen and Madawaska-Edmundston to preserve those important ties.
At the end of the event, Mills hugged Dennis and said, “Tell your wife we'll keep her safe.”
Holt is touring New Brunswick this week with Tourism Minister Isabelle Thériault to promote local travel destinations.
Cross-border travel from Canada to the US is sharply declining. In April, vehicle traffic over the Ogdensburg-Prescott Bridge dropped 31 percent from 2024, and a similar 31 percent drop was seen in March at the Champlain-St. Bernard de Lacolle crossing, CBC.ca reports.
A May Leger poll found over 70 percent of Canadians are now less likely to visit the US in 2025, with tariffs and political tensions cited as key reasons.
