A Democratic state lawmaker on Monday urged President Joe Biden's administration to take "unilateral" action and reopen the U.S. border with Canada, pointing to the economic havoc the continued closure has caused in New York's North Country region.

The statement from Assemblyman Billy Jones is the latest sign of frustration among local, state and federal officials on both sides of the aisle over the border remaining closed as new COVID-19 cases ebb in the U.S. and more people are vaccinated.

Still, unvaccinated people remain a cause for concern amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus. Officials in the United States and Canada this month announced the border would remain closed through mid-July, though guidelines for quarantining for vaccinated people would be eased.

"This is simply not enough to help those who live in border communities like the North Country," Jones said. "Meanwhile, those who can afford to fly to the United States from Canada are permitted to do so, creating an unfair and unjust policy that excludes most Canadians who can only afford to drive to cross the border."

Billions of dollars in trade and activity flowed between the two countries prior to the pandemic. And upstate New York in particular relies on Canadian tourism in the summer months. The bipartisan frustration, from lawmakers like Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik and Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins, have underscored the growing impatience with the closure.

“Enough is enough. I have been calling on both sides of the border repeatedly to use a phased approach towards reopening the border so that families can be reunited and property owners may return to their properties but our federal governments continue to not make reopening the border a priority," Jones said. "The suffering of North Country families should not be ignored, and it is time for President Biden to make reopening the border a priority and take unilateral action towards reopening the border."