US Immigration: Record number of illegal crossings from CANADA, mostly Mexican nationals

Border patrols from Vermont’s Swanton sector reported Monday that they encountered a historic number of illegal border crossers crossing the Canadian border into the US last month.

Agents arrested 367 people in January, mostly Mexican nationals, which they say is more than they’ve seen combined since 2011. The average number of crossings in the Swanton sector over the last 12 years is just 28.

Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Officer Robert N. Garcia noted that officers are encountering more family groups with young children and babies crossing the border.

He also warned migrants not to risk the journey in the cold, as agents have had to carry out at least two rescue missions in January.

“Illegal crossing of the Canada-US border in sub-zero temperatures continued last week as border patrol agents arrested 115 nationals from 12 countries – mostly Mexican nationals,” he noted in a tweet featuring an image of migrants being deported by the US. snow trudge.

Crossings from the north arrive despite harsh winter conditions, with snow and temperatures dropping to -4 degrees Fahrenheit

“Unfortunately, the dangerous weather has not deterred this traffic. Don’t take any chances!’

The increase comes as border crossings in the north continue to spike despite freezing winter temperatures reaching -4 degrees – and as attention remains focused on the migration crisis at the southern border.

Swanton has seen a series of encounters increase, according to a statement on the recent surge.

From October 2021 to January 2023, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in the industry saw an 846 percent increase in encounters and detentions compared to the same period last year.

“As we move deeper into winter and continue to address the continued pace of illegal cross-border movement, concerns for the lives and well-being of our border guards and those we encounter – especially vulnerable populations – continue to rise,” Chief Patrol Officer Garcia said.

“It cannot be stressed enough: not only is it illegal to bypass legal entry into the United States, but it is also extremely dangerous, especially in adverse weather conditions, which our Swanton industry has in incredible abundance,” he added in a statement on the record number of crossings.

Security footage released earlier this month from the northern border shows migrants trudging through several inches of snow carrying their belongings after illegally crossing the border from Canada into the US

Swanton sector chief patrol officer Robert N Garcia noted that officers needed at least two search and rescue missions to provide assistance to illegal crossings

The harsh winter conditions along the northern border have led to an increased need for search and rescue and have had to provide lifesaving assistance in at least two incidents in Newport, Vermont, and Burke, New York.

Since President Joe Biden took office, the increases on the northern border seem to coincide with the peaks on the southern border.

In fiscal year 2020, the number of encounters and detentions at the northern border was 32,376. Biden’s first full year in office in Fiscal Year 2022 saw the northern border more than a threefold increase to 109,535 encounters.

So far this year, from October 2022 to January 2023, the CBP has found 55,736 illegal border crossers.

Along the entire northern border of the US with Canada, the highest single month of crossings was in October 2022, when 15,883 people were apprehended by CBP.

The entire southern border saw a massive drop in crossings from December 2022 to January 2023 – from a record high of 251,978 to nearly 100,000 fewer with 156,274 encounters.