WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – You may have noticed a slightly longer wait at the border in recent weeks.

That’s because U.S. Customs and Border Protection have set up additional security checkpoints at the border crossings in Blaine, Lynden and Sumas.

But Border Patrol spokesperson Jason Givens claims it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

Givens says Border Patrol routinely conducts inspections on traffic going into Canada as part of its “national security mission.”

He adds that inspections west of the Cascades are specifically done to combat the smuggling of fentanyl and other illicit substances.

The timing of the added checkpoints are driven by a range of factors, including “intelligence, bi-national efforts and random surges.”