U.S. Border Patrol Agents turn visitors with gifts back toward the park to give gifts back to Canadian visitors on December 19, 2025. (PNW Daily)
BLAINE, Wash. — As agricultural inspections hit record levels nationwide, Border Patrol officers are cracking down on gift exchanges at Peace Arch State Park, warning visitors that flowers and birthday presents shared during picnics count as smuggling.
The issue surfaced during a recent PNW Daily livestream, when viewers watched U.S. Border Patrol officers enforce the rule during multiple encounters inside the park.
Birthday gifts stopped after picnic
During one picnic, a Canadian visitor handed birthday gifts to a friend from the United States. After the gathering ended, the Americans attempted to return to their car on the U.S. side.
Border Patrol officers stopped them before they exited the park. Officers told the group they could not leave with the gifts. They explained the Canadian visitor would need to take the items back to Canada and cross through a port of entry to declare them. Otherwise, officers said, removing the gifts from the park would constitute smuggling.
As their Canadian friends watched from 0 Avenue, officers allowed the group to return the items to avoid further enforcement action.
Bouquet of flowers also turned back
Viewers also witnessed a separate incident involving a couple who met at the park. During the visit, one person gave the other a bouquet of flowers.
When the recipient attempted to return to their vehicle on the U.S. side, Border Patrol officers intervened and denied exit with the flowers. Officers told them flowers count as an undeclared agricultural import when they cross the boundary without inspection.
Why enforcement is increasing now
Federal law treats any hand-to-hand transfer across the U.S.-Canada boundary as an import or export. That rule applies even inside the Peace Arch park, where visitors may meet without formally entering the other country.
Because items exchanged in the park never pass through a port of entry, they bypass customs and agricultural inspections. Border Patrol officers therefore require visitors to leave with only the items they personally brought in.
The enforcement comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports a record-setting year for agricultural inspections ahead of Valentine’s Day. CBP agriculture specialists have already inspected more than 1 billion cut flower stems and intercepted more than 600 harmful pests and plant diseases. The agency expects to surpass last year’s record of 1.3 billion stems by mid-February.
“Every cut flower inspected by CBP is a testament to our vigilance and unwavering commitment to preventing the entry of plant pests and diseases without compromising our agricultural protection,” said Acting Executive Director Suzette Kelly, of CBP’s Agriculture Programs and Trade Liaison.
CBP says even a single contaminated flower can introduce invasive pests or plant diseases capable of damaging U.S. crops. Officials cite that risk as a key reason why uninspected flowers, plants, and similar items remain prohibited at the park.
What visitors need to know
People from the United States and Canada may meet, sit together, and eat food they brought themselves while inside Peace Arch State Park. However, each person must leave with the same items they arrived with and return those items to their own country.
Border officials urge visitors not to exchange gifts, flowers, food, or personal items of any kind. Anyone who wants to give a gift to someone from the other country must do so through a lawful border crossing and properly declare the item.
CBP advises visitors with questions about permitted items to contact its Information Center at 877-227-5511 before visiting the park.
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