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That’s a 17.4 per cent drop in the number of trips compared to the previous year, marking the second consecutive month of declining travellers year-over-year .

More than 4.1 million people crossed the border in March, compared to just under five million in the same period last year. The largest decline was in those travelling by vehicle, which fell 26.4 per cent, followed by pedestrian crossings, which dropped 25.7 per cent.

Air travel from Canada to the U.S. actually increased by 5.3 per cent, according to the CBP. Trucking also increased by 6.4 per cent.

The new data aligns with recent numbers from Statistics Canada, which outlined a 13.5 per cent year-over-year drop in Canadian residents who flew back from the U.S.

Thousands of Canadians, outraged over Trump’s tariff and annexation threats, have chosen to boycott travel to the U.S., especially after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged residents to “choose Canada” and rethink their travel plans south of the border.

Others, alarmed by headlines of Canadians detained while crossing the southern border, have chosen to avoid travel out of fear, one immigration lawyer told the Star.

“There is enormous fear out there: ‘what’s going to happen to me at the border?’” said Evan Green, managing partner at immigration law firm Green and Spiegel. “The bottom line is, things are tougher — and we’re seeing it on both sides of the border, both going into the United States and coming into Canada.”

On paper, there haven’t been any changes to the rules on cross-border travel, Green explained. But ever since Trump was elected, border officials have become more stringent with enforcement.

“The refs may be calling it differently now... For example, if you had something in your past that may not have come up (before), it’s coming up now,” he said.

In this vein, the Canadian government recently altered its travel advisory to the U.S., warning residents to expect “scrutiny at all points of entry, including of electronic devices,” while crossing the border.

The collapse of Canadian travel into the U.S. represents a serious economic blow. Canadians are the top source of international travel to the U.S., spending $20.5 billion (U.S.) south of the border in 2024 and supporting 140,000 American jobs, .

A mere 10 per cent decline in travel will lead to a $2.1 billion (U.S.) drop in spending and the loss of 14,000 jobs, the association said.

Amid dwindling numbers, U.S. tourism agencies have travelled north in hopes of encouraging Canadians to travel stateside. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also taken to social media in a plea for Canadians to visit the Golden State, amid a $5.2-million (U.S.) advertising campaign to lure Canucks across the border.

Instead of heading south, Canadians are travelling domestically, noted Beth Potter, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC): “I think what we’re seeing right now is a real sense of patriotism.”

Since the start of the trade war, the TIAC has seen a 19 per cent increase in Canadians intent on travelling domestically — a fact she said could boost Canada’s $130 billion tourism industry.

“We do actually expect that our contributions to the economy will outpace the rate of the growth of the economy overall,” she said.

With files from Nathan Bawaan