Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland met with their Canadian counterparts, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Justice Minister David Lametti on Friday.
They signed four new or updated agreements that allow Canada’s Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian mounted police to exchange data with their U.S. partners.
“It means even more exchanging of intelligence and information between our law enforcement agencies," Mendicino said. "Importantly it means making even more progress on the tracing of illegal guns so that we can hold those criminals and organized criminal networks to account.”
Mendicino adds that both countries will also use new technology to go after ghost guns, untracked, privately made firearms used by gangs, and which are increasingly being used in violent crimes.
Garland said the agreements will also help choke off the flow of opioids such as fentanyl.
“The justice department will continue to work together with our partners, both here in Canada and in Mexico to combat fentanyl trafficking and to get deadly fentanyl out of our communities,” Garland said.
In addition, law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border would get more training on a shared understanding of privacy laws. There were few details offered about what had materially changed because of the agreements. But all agreed it was the focus of sharing actionable, relevant information in a timely matter.