CBP Deploys 25 Agents to Busy Section of Northern Border to Counter Migrant Surge
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detailed 25 extra agents to a busy section of the northern border, effective Monday, as the number of migrants, particularly those from Mexico, crossing into the U.S. from Canada continues to rise.[0] According to a CBP spokesperson, the Swanton Sector, which includes sections of Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York, experienced an 846 percent increase in apprehensions from October 2022 through this January, compared with the same period a year prior.[0] “The deployed team will serve as a force multiplier in the region and assist to deter and disrupt human smuggling activities being conducted in the Swanton Sector area of responsibility,” the spokesperson said.[1]
The personnel transferred to the US-Canada border are dealing with an influx of migrants attempting to enter the country through irregular border areas.[1] Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to discuss changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with President Joe Biden during their planned meeting in March 2023.[2] The agreement allows for anyone trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border in either direction to be sent back to the first of the two countries they arrived in, with few exceptions.[0]
Though the Mexican border remains a far busier sector for crossings by undocumented migrants, the recent surge at the Canadian border is garnering more attention inside the agency and requiring additional resources.[3] Robert Garcia, Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent, expressed his worries for the well-being of those attempting to traverse the icy landscape.[4] Since the implementation of Title 42 Covid regulations in March 2020, Mexicans have been disproportionately barred from seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border.[4]
Migrants who are able to pay the $350 cost of a one-way flight from either Mexico City or Cancun to either Montreal or Toronto, and then make their way across the U.S. border from the north, are less likely to be refused entry due to Title 42 than those crossing from the south.[0] U.S. Border Patrol cameras have captured migrants crossing the border into the U.S. in the Swanton Sector.[3] However, agents are at risk as well, as a female Border Patrol Agent was recently violently assaulted by an illegal immigrant.[5]
The personnel transferred to the US-Canada border are dealing with an influx of migrants attempting to enter the country through irregular border areas.[1]
0. “US patrol agents being transferred to northern border with Canada” Daily Mail, 8 Mar. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11828559/US-patrol-agents-transferred-northern-border-Canada.html
1. “Border officers stretched thin as agents sent north to cover Canadian ‘weak point'” Express, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.express.co.uk/news/us/1743462/us-border-officials-Canada-Mexico-latest-news-dxus
2. “Spike in Migrants Crossing U.S.-Canada Border Raising Concerns” JD Supra, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/spike-in-migrants-crossing-u-s-canada-5108685/
3. “U.S. transfers 25 Border Patrol agents to Canadian border as crossings rise” Yahoo Life, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/u-transfers-25-border-patrol-001137811.html
4. “U.S. transfers Border Patrol agents to northern border as migrant crossings from Canada rise” NBC News, 6 Mar. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/us-transfers-border-patrol-agents-canada-border-migrant-crossings-rcna73623
5. “US Border Patrol transfers agents to Canadian border amid migrant crisis” Fox News, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/us/border-patrol-transfers-agents-canadian-border-amid-migrant-influx
