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Illegal immigrants from 85 countries arrested at New England border since fall

Posted on by angelo

The New England region on the U.S.-Canada border has seen a staggering increase in the number of immigrants arrested trying to enter the United States illegally, with people from 85 countries apprehended since last fall.

Border Patrol agents in New Hampshire, Vermont and eastern New York intercepted more illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2023 than in the previous 11 years combined, But in just the first eight months of 2024, arrests have already surpassed last year’s record, according to Robert Garcia, chief patrol officer for the Swanton Sector in New England.

In May alone, Swanton Sector agents apprehended more than 2,900 illegal immigrants, nearly three times as many as the 1,065 immigrants arrested in all of 2022.

Agents in the Swanton Sector on the northern border have arrested more than 12,000 illegal immigrants since October 2023.

Earlier this spring, Northern Border Security Caucus co-chairs Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Ryan Zinke (R-MT), House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and other members sent a letter to the Biden administration blaming it for the increase in border crossings, which they described as “symptomatic of your overall failure to secure the border.”

“Dangerous individuals continue to take advantage of the vast northern border, which is the longest land border between two countries in the world, and relatively unprotected by natural barriers,” the lawmakers wrote.

The increase in arrests during the winter is particularly concerning given that they take place during the winter months, when temperatures are often below 0 degrees Fahrenheit and present major security concerns for immigrants and law enforcement. the order.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The winter surge, lawmakers warned, could lead to bigger problems as temperatures warm in the spring and summer and make crossing more convenient, as the continued rise in arrests in March, April and May showed.

Border Patrol data has only been publicly available since 2007. Over the past 17 years, apprehensions at the northern border have ranged from 2,200 to 7,900 per year, according to Customs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement statistics. borders of the United States.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Swanton sector represents nearly 300 miles of the 4,000 miles of Canadian border. During the winter months, officers use snowmobiles to traverse several feet of snow in extremely isolated areas, even when temperatures drop into double digits during the winter months.

Unlike the southern border, there is no imposing steel wall to prevent illegal immigration, and the technology to track suspicious activity is not as widespread as the drones, ground sensors, infrared cameras, blimps and long-range cameras seen on the Mexican border.