United States | DHS designates Michigan’s Gordie Howe International Bridge as new port of entry

The Department of Homeland Security has published a final rule in the Federal Register (FR) formally establishing the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) as a class A port of entry for immigration purposes and as part of the Port of Detroit for customs purposes.

Key Points:

• Purpose: As a designated United States class A port of entry, the GHIB crossing allows Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to more efficiently process travelers and goods and enforce customs and immigration laws at the site. According to the FR, “GHIB will be an innovative crossing as it will have a highway-to-highway connection. This seamless connection benefits the international trade industry and the public.”
• Location: The bridge is located between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, in Canada.
• GHIB opening date: The crossing is not currently open. CBP will notify the public when the GHIB border crossing is fully operational and open to public use on the CBP website.
• Rule effective date: The final rule takes effect March 2, 2026.

Additional Information: Regarding the classification of ports of entry, CBP explains that “Class A means that the port is a designated port of entry for all travelers. Class B means that the port is a designated port of entry for travelers who at the time of applying for admission are lawfully in possession of valid Permanent Resident Cards or valid nonresident aliens’ border-crossing identification cards or are admissible without requiring a waiver of inadmissibility.”

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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