Border crossings from Canada into northern New York, New Hampshire and Vermont reached record numbers last year, as migrants took advantage of understaffing and a lack of fencing at the northern border.
More than 12,200 immigrants were caught crossing illegally from Canada last year, more than double the number from the previous year, when only 3,578 were caught, US Customs and Border Protection data show.
Most of the illegal crossings — about 70% — occur along the 295-mile Swanton Sector, which includes New York, New Hampshire and Vermont in the north, the data show.
In that sector, 3,100 people from 55 different countries have been arrested since October alone — more than the total of four fiscal years combined, Robert Garcia, chief patrol agent for the sector, posted on X Friday.
Experts now say migrants who make it to Mexico and can afford a $350 one-way plane ticket from Mexico City or Cancun to Montreal or Toronto are heading south to cross the northern US border — where they are less likely to be turned away. of those who crossed the southern border.
The US border with Canada is much longer than the border with Mexico, and ports of entry are often understaffed as CBP focuses on the migration surge at the southern border.
More than 12,200 immigrants were caught crossing illegally from Canada last year, more than double the number from the previous year. @USBPchiefSWB / X
Also, there are no fences along the northern border, mostly wooded areas and dirt paths.
“The northern border has been largely neglected,” New York State Assemblyman Billy Jones, who represents Clinton County, told the New York Times.
He added that the federal government is “failing on immigration, and they’re failing people who live along the border.”
In Clinton County, residents are increasingly seeing immigrants walking across their fields and backyards, or carrying suitcases down back roads.
Some seek shelter in residents’ sheds and garages to escape the cold.
Many now live in Plattsburgh, the county’s largest city, hoping to pay the $90 bus fare to New York City, according to the newspaper/
A gas station in town has become an informal meeting place for cash-strapped immigrants, and local motels are often forced to accept immigrants during the winter under rules that require them not to turn away travelers when temperatures drop below freezing.
The cold conditions have also proved fatal to migrants hoping to enter the country.
At least a dozen migrants – including families, children and a pregnant woman – have been found frozen to death in rivers or in forests bordering the two countries.
In December, US border agents also found themselves providing life-saving aid to migrants they encountered in cold and snowy conditions.
However, sometimes, such migrants seek help from human smuggling operations.
In Syracuse, federal prosecutors have filed several cases aimed at dismantling the smuggling ring, detailing in court documents how smugglers helped guide migrants through the jungle and coordinated drivers with out-of-state license plates to pick them up once they crossed the border. .
At the same time, a growing number of immigrants have crossed into Canada to seek asylum there — especially under the Trump administration, when many fear deportation.
US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the agency told the Times that the country had established close ties with Canada to counter the influx of illegal immigration.
“CBP is constantly adapting to changing trends while continuing to call on Congress to provide the resources and personnel necessary to maintain and enhance our border security,” the statement said.
In March, Customs and Border Protection moved 25 agents to the northern border to deal with a surge in migration.
“While the number of concerns is small compared to other areas with irregular migration flows, the Swanton Sector concerns constitute a significant change in this area,” a CBP spokesperson told NBC News in November.
“The deployed force will serve as a force multiplier in the region and help to prevent and disrupt human smuggling activities carried out in the area of responsibility of the Swanton Sector,” he said.
There are now about 2,200 border patrol agents along the northern border trying to find and stop migrants using sensors, thermal camera systems and drones.
New Hampshire officials hope to boost their efforts with a bill that would allow landowners to post “no trespassing” signs on open spaces with recreational use exemptions.
The bill would pave the way for suspected illegal immigrants to potentially be arrested by law enforcement for criminal trespassing, according to NHPR.
Meanwhile in Canada – where Quebec officials warned in January that the influx of migrants entering the province was at “breaking point” – anyone entering the province through an unofficial port of entry from the US will lose the right to seek asylum, under the agreement between the country and the US in March.
Politicians there are also now considering implementing visa requirements for Mexican tourists.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
