Avoiding America: Trade war triggers wild swing in Windsor-Detroit border traffic

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Chaos fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war is causing seismic shifts in border traffic across the country — including wild swings in Windsor-Detroit.

The number of people travelling from Windsor to Detroit plummeted by about 80,000 individuals in February after Trump’s tariffs took effect, says U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Traffic then rebounded in March, when the number of people crossing either the Ambassador Bridge or Windsor-Detroit Tunnel into Michigan increased by 93,000, according to American data released Monday.

But that was still about 84,000 fewer travellers than March 2024. And the latest tunnel numbers, particularly on non-workdays, indicate Canadians may have soured on casual travel to the U.S.

Travel consultant Melanie Harding told the Star that fear and fury over Trump’s treatment of Canada has led to a widespread U.S. boycott by Canadians.

Fear is definitely one of the reasons

“It’s the uncertainty,” said Harding, with Valente Travel in Windsor. “I think there is some fear of crossing the border, being held up. And then of course it’s, ‘I’m not spending my money there. I’m not going to contribute to this.’ I’m hearing some of that, too.

“But fear is definitely one of the reasons.”

Even before the tariffs took effect Feb. 1, cross-border travel was declining as Trump started making trade war threats and mused about annexing Canada.

In addition to anger over tariffs, the depressed value of the Canadian dollar and recent stories of hassles at the American border have also put a chill on U.S. travel.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) warned academics against travelling to the U.S.

“Given the rapidly evolving political landscape in the United States and reports of individuals encountering difficulties crossing the border, CAUT strongly recommends that academic staff travel to the U.S. only if essential and necessary,” the association stated in an advisory.

CAUT also urged “particular caution” for academics who fall into certain categories. They include people who have expressed negative opinions about the U.S. administration or its policies, anyone whose research might be at odds with the position of the U.S. government, and anyone who identifies as transgender or whose travel documents indicate a sex other than the one assigned at birth.

“Academics should carefully consider what information they have, or need to have, on their electronic devices when crossing borders and take actions to protect sensitive information where necessary,” CAUT said.

U.S. data shows a sharp decline in traffic at border crossings across the country began early this year.

The number of people crossing land borders from Canada to the U.S. dropped from more than 4.1 million in December to 3.3 million in January, and 2.8 million in February. But in March, the number of cross border travellers jumped to 3.2 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which doesn’t offer possible reasons for the swing in numbers, only counts people entering the U.S.

But Statistics Canada released a report last week showing the number of Canadians returning from the U.S. dropped 32 per cent in March compared to the same period in 2024.

March 2025 also marked the third consecutive month of year-over-year decline, the agency reported.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 706,190 travellers entered Detroit from Windsor using either the Ambassador Bridge or Windsor-Detroit Tunnel in December.

The number slipped to 591,727 in January, the month Trump returned to the White House and issued an executive order for his cabinet to prepare tariffs.

In February, after Trump ordered 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, Detroit-bound traffic dropped again to 513,768 people.

Then, in March, the number of travellers jumped back up to 607,179 individuals.

The privately owned Ambassador Bridge Company, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S., has not responded to several requests from the Star about its traffic levels over the last couple of months.

But it appears the bridge, which carries huge amounts of commercial traffic and travellers from outside Essex County, has seen the largest local fluctuations.

Tunnel CEO Tal Czudner said traffic at his crossing is only down about three per cent on weekdays, which is “considerably less” than other border crossings.

“Obviously, we’ve got a whole bunch of daily commuters,” he told the Star. “I think there are some people that have remained consistent in their travelling. If you’ve got a girlfriend, boyfriend, or you’re a regular Caesars Windsor traveller, then I think you’re continuing with your daily drives.”

Windsor-Essex residents who are still crossing the border seem to be gravitating toward the tunnel, he added.

“I also think it’s worth mentioning that more of the Windsorites are using the tunnel because they know half is owned by the City of Windsor,” said Czudner. “I think you’ve got a bit of Canada loyalty.”

Traffic decline at the tunnel has been more pronounced on weekends, when there tends to be more discretionary travel.

On weekends, Czudner said that traffic is down 12 to 14 per cent, or about 800 cars going from Windsor to Detroit on any given Saturday or Sunday. There has been a similar decline in traffic going the other way.

Anecdotal feedback from Canadians boycotting the U.S. is that they’re angry over how Trump and his cronies are treating their country, he said.

“That’s not just us,” said Czudner. “That’s every border crossing in Ontario.”

Travel consultant Harding said people have been cancelling or changing their plans across the board, from buddy golf trips to family vacations.

“A lot of the times, being a Windsor agent, we get people say it could be Toronto or it could be Detroit,” she said. “Pricewise, whatever is better.

“Now what we’re hearing is, ‘Don’t even check Detroit.’ They’re just not interested.”

twilhelm@postmedia.com