Mayor Drew Dilkens of Windsor, Ontario said in a press conference Thursday that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, offered to send over “heavy equipment” to help remove trucks blocking the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor.
As Townhall covered, an anti-vaccine mandate “Freedom Convoy” made its way across Canada last month to protest vaccine mandates pushed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. This week, the nation’s capital, Ottawa, declared a state of emergency over the convoy after the trucks parked in the city streets. The convoy has spread to other parts of the country, including the Ambassador Bridge.
“The State of Michigan and the governor’s office directly have offered to send over heavy equipment to help remove vehicles, to provide security. They’ve offered to do whatever is required to help end this blockade as well,” Dilkens said in the conference. “For those of you thinking about joining the protest, let me just say this: You are not welcome here.”
According to ABC-affiliated local outlet WXYZ-Detroit, Dilkens requested an injunction ordering the end of the protest. If a court approves it, police will have the authority to remove the protestors.
“The blockade is having a significant impact on Michigan's working families who are just trying to do their jobs. Our communities and automotive, manufacturing, and agriculture businesses are feeling the effects. It's hitting paychecks and production lines. That is unacceptable,” Whitmer said in a statement published Thursday. "The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest land border crossing in North America, used by tens of thousands of commuters and truck drivers carrying hundreds of millions of dollars of goods every day. Countless Michiganders rely on this daily flow of goods and people to get things done. It is imperative that Canadian local, provincial, and national governments de-escalate this economic blockade.”
In a press conference Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that the Ambassador Bridge is the “busiest” port of entry to the United States and Canada.
“[The bridge] accounts for about 25 percent of trade between the two countries,” Psaki told reporters. “The blockade poses a risk to supply chains for the auto industry because the bridge is a key conduit for motor vehicles components and parts.”
Whitmer’s office has not responded to Dilken’s claim that she offered to send equipment to remove trucks. Last year, when GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey asked states to send available National Guard troops and state troopers to help protect the southern border, Democrat governors did not oblige.