During the 1920s, negotiations with several parties were initiated to find a way of supporting automobile traffic on the Cornwall railway bridge.

The reservation is situated mostly in the US state of New York, and crosses into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

In May 2009, the Mohawk people of Akwesasne occupied the area around the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) port of entry building to protest the Canadian government's decision to arm its border agents while operating on Mohawk territory.

In 2014 they objected to a process that made their crossing more tedious; believing it violated their treaty rights of free passage.

When traveling from the US to Cornwall Island, they must first cross a second bridge into Canada, for inspection at the new Canadian border station.