(TotalConservative.com) – 25 border patrol agents were sent to a northeastern section of the U.S. border with Quebec to respond to an increase in illegal crossing from Canada.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there’s been a spike in human smuggling activities in Canadian border areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and upstate New York, comprising 203 miles of the border on land and 92 miles through water.
The spokesperson said that the “numbers are small compared to other areas with irregular migrant flows,” but that the “Swanton Secor apprehensions constitute a large change” in the area.
The team was deployed on Monday to help deal with the situation by serving as “a force multiplier in the region” to assist in deterring and disrupting smuggling activities.
A Mexican man was killed last month after crossing from Canada into Vermont, highlighting the spike in crossings between Quebec and the northern parts of New England. 1,513 illegal crossers were apprehended between the beginning of October 2022 and the end of January 2023, an increase of 160 from the same period a year ago, although still a tiny fraction compared to those intercepted along the U.S.-Mexico border during that period, which was over 760,000.
Apparently, more migrants have decided to fly into Canada from Mexico in order to attempt entry into the U.S. from the northern border instead, where they are statistically less likely to be turned away due to the Title 42 program implemented by the federal government.
Because of the northern weather conditions this time of year, migrants have to endure the extreme cold which puts them at a heightened risk, dangerous not only for the migrants but also for patrol agents, according to a statement by Patrol Chief Agent Robert Garcia last month.
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