Border Crossings Take Rare Turn

border crossings take rare turn

Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers greet refugees as they arrive at the Roxham Road border crossing in Champlain, New York, on March 25, 2023. Northern border crossings have increased since November, straining states close in proximity to Canada in terms of resources and hazards to law enforcement.

Northern border crossings from Canada into the United States have increased since November and are straining some states as the Biden administration finally received some positive news on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by House Republicans on Tuesday for his alleged negligence in combatting record-high numbers of migrant encounters. Total border crossings exceeded 988,900 between October and December, adding 242,587 in January, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data released Tuesday.

States like Texas, which experienced a decrease of about 81,550 encounters between December and January, have led the fight on border protection in the form of erecting razor wire in heavily traversed areas like Shelby Park, and employing National Guard troops to monitor illegal crossings.

In January, there were 242,587 migrant encounters across the United States’ northern and southern borders—a decrease from the 370,925 encounters documented in December. The number also shows a 65,000-plus decrease compared with October (309,065) and November (308,636).

Migrant encounters at the Southwest land border fell from 301,983 in December to 176,205 in January.

However, encounters at the U.S.-Canada border increased by about 1,800 from November (14,053) to January (15,802). Encounters totaled 15,348 in December, and there was a decrease from October (15,399) to November.

Northern border crossings relatively pale in comparison to southern border encounters, though numbers have increased year over year during the Biden administration. The 2021 fiscal year ended with 27,180 crossings, increasing to 109,535 in 2022 and 189,402 last year.

Newsweek reached out to DHS via email for comment.

More than 12,200 people were apprehended crossing illegally from Canada last year, a 241 percent jump from the 3,578 arrested the previous year, according to the New York Times. The majority of crossings involved Mexicans, who do not require a visa to fly to Canada.

The states hit hardest during the surge have been New Hampshire, New York and Vermont—all part of a region known as the Swanton Sector, home to nearly 70 percent of illegal crossings in 2023.

“The record-breaking surge of illegal entries from Canada continues in Swanton Sector,” U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia wrote in an X post last Thursday. “A citizen’s report in Champlain, N.Y., led to the arrest of 10 Bangladesh citizens. Agents rely on the vigilance of our community. If you see something, say something!”

More than 3,100 people from 55 countries have been apprehended since October 1, Garcia wrote in a post this month. Those numbers collectively dwarf the total illegal crossings in fiscal years 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, he noted.

Raymond Bresnahan, the lead patrol agent at the Champlain Border Station, which is part of the Swanton Sector enforcing some 295 miles of border, told local CBS affiliate WCAX-TV that the increase in illegal crossings makes things more challenging for law enforcement.

“The vast majority of people we catch are still individuals looking for that American dream trying to get into the United States….There still are a lot of bad actors mixed in with them,” Bresnahan said of crossings in New York. “We still see aggravated felons, we still catch a lot of bad people.”

Clinton County Sheriff Dave Favro said his county jail is one of the only facilities in New York still accepting immigrant detainees. Hazards for patrol officers are real, he added.

“Given so much of the unknown that you are dealing with and all the turmoil and tension in the other countries that these people are coming from puts an awful lot of emotional strain and pressure on law enforcement and medical staff, including our 911 centers,” Favro told WCAX.

Bernadette Jordan, Canadian consul general for New England, said this month that she believes the “border’s working very well,” according to the New Hampshire Bulletin.

“I guess my fear would be that if we put more stringent measures in, how it impacts all of the other things that we have for that border,” Jordan said. “You know, whether it’s tourism, whether it’s trade, whether it’s people visiting families. We can’t impede that. But we still have to make sure that what we’re doing is still working. It does seem to be working.”

Related Articles

    Start your unlimited Newsweek trial

    News Related

    OTHER NEWS

    Lawsuit seeks $16 million against Maryland county over death of pet dog shot by police

    A department investigator accused two of the officers of “conduct unbecoming an officer” for entering the apartment without a warrant, but the third officer was cleared of wrongdoing, the suit says. Read more »

    Heidi Klum shares rare photo of all 4 of her and Seal's kids

    Heidi Klum posted a rare picture with husband Tom Kaulitz and her four kids: Leni, 19, Henry, 18, Johan, 17, and Lou, 14, having some quality family time. Read more »

    European stocks head for flat open as markets struggle to find momentum

    This is CNBC’s live blog covering European markets. European markets are heading for a flat open Tuesday, continuing lackluster sentiment seen at the start of the week in the region ... Read more »

    Linda C. Black Horoscopes: November 28

    Nancy Black Today’s Birthday (11/28/23). This year energizes your work and health. Faithful domestic routines provide central support. Shift directions to balance your work and health, before adapting around team ... Read more »

    Michigan Democrats poised to test ambitious environmental goals in the industrial Midwest

    FILE – One of more than 4,000 solar panels constructed by DTE Energy lines a 9.37-acre swath of land in Ann Arbor Township, Mich., Sept. 15, 2015. Michigan will join ... Read more »

    Gaza Is Falling Into ‘Absolute Chaos,’ Aid Groups Say

    A shaky cease-fire between Israel and Hamas has allowed a surge of aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza, but humanitarian groups and civilians in the enclave say the convoys aren’t ... Read more »

    Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families to march together in anti-hate vigil

    Demonstrators march against the rise of antisemitism in the UK on Sunday – SUSANNAH IRELAND/REUTERS Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families will march together as part of an anti-hate vigil on ... Read more »
    Top List in the World