HOULTON (AP) – Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff got an aerial view of the northern Maine-Canadian border on Wednesday as he wrapped up his two-day tour of Maine to learn about the state’s border security challenges.

Chertoff and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, flew in a helicopter from the Presque Isle airport to get a glimpse from above of part of the Maine border with New Brunswick. They then landed in Houlton, where they met with officials at the border station.

Chertoff and Collins said at a news conference that they would work on ways to increase manpower and boost the use of technology along the Maine-Canadian border. Technology, such as infrared and motion sensors, will play an increasingly important role in border security, they said.

Collins said while it is vital to keep the border secure, it is also important to not place unfair and burdensome regulations on people in border communities who cross over regularly.

She said she would pursue legislation allowing for special identification cards for people who live on one side and work on the other so they aren’t unduly burdened while crossing.

Chertoff came to Maine at the invitation of Collins, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security.

On Tuesday, they toured Portland Harbor in a Coast Guard patrol boat and visited the city’s emergency operations center before meeting with reporters.

Collins said security needs to be a high priority given the port’s diversity. Portland is the largest oil port on the East Coast, and has container cargo, cruise ship, fishing, ferry and marine industrial activities.

In northern and eastern Maine, the border issues are much different.

Maine has a 611-mile border with Canada that includes mountains, lakes, river, fields, forests and ocean. For as long as anyone can remember, people have crossed illegally by vehicle, on foot, by boat and even on snowmobiles.