Overview
- With commercial flights grounded during the shutdown, DSS executed a seven-hour armored motorcade from the Lewiston–Queenston Bridge to Manhattan to keep a fixed UN meeting on schedule.
- The operation mobilized 27 agents drawn from the Dignitary Protection Division, the New York Field Office, and the Buffalo Resident Office with planned driver rotations for fatigue management.
- Cross-border coordination involved the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to orchestrate the handoff at the international bridge.
- A sheriff’s K9 alerted on the minister’s armored vehicle during a team transition, prompting an explosives inspection that cleared the car and allowed the convoy to continue under protocol.
- After reaching New York City, a DSS agent rendered aid to a hit-and-run victim without disrupting the protection mission, and Jaishankar arrived on time for his meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.