Northern Border Sees Record-High Illegal Crossings
While attention has often focused on the southern border for illegal immigration, the northern border has also experienced record-high illegal crossings. According to data released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), illegal border crossings at the northern border have reached unprecedented levels.
In May, 18,644 foreign nationals were apprehended attempting to enter the country at the northern border, marking the highest total for the month of May since records have been kept. During the first eight months of the 2024 fiscal year, nearly 100,000 individuals were apprehended at the northern border, indicating that 2024 will far surpass the 2023 total of 147,666.
These figures do not include “gotaways,” referring to individuals who enter the country illegally through a port of entry but do not return to Mexico or Canada. This number is not publicly reported by CBP.
The US-Canada border, the longest international border in the world, is largely unfortified and is not patrolled, unlike the US-Mexico border. Most illegal crossings occur in the Swanton Sector, near Vermont and New York. In the 2023 fiscal year, border patrol agents in this sector apprehended over 6,700 foreign nationals from 76 countries, according to a report by The Center Square.
The Swanton Sector has already surpassed last year’s figures, with over 10,000 subjects from 83 countries apprehended in the last eight months.
“In less than 9 months, Swanton Sector Border Patrol Agents have apprehended more than 10,000 subjects from 83 countries,” Chief Border Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said. “We continue to see an unprecedented increase of illegal entries across eastern New York and Vermont.”
Of particular concern, CBP data shows that the northern border has seen the highest number of known or suspected terrorists apprehended. In the first six months of fiscal year 2024, 143 known or suspected terrorists were caught by border patrol, including an Iranian with terrorist ties.
“The northern border is under-resourced by far compared to the southwest border,” explained Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan to The Center Square. “But at the same time, it still represents significant threats. Cartels are expanding their operations, flying people into Canada, which doesn’t require a visa, presenting an opportunity for terrorist watch-listed individuals to exploit. It’s much easier to get to Canada to come across.”
