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Now They’re Coming from Canada: Northern Border Sees 743{17fd9ed690c1b52b81269a246981635feafa4e787b5d1af0bbeaebca7de63266} Spike in Illegal Migrants

Border Patrol working in the north of the US have reported a 743 percent rise in migrant encounters compared to the same period a year ago.

Robert Garcia, the chief patrol agent for the Swanton Sector – which covers Vermont, New York and New Hampshire – said he was troubled by the increasing popularity of the people-smuggling route.

He warned traffickers are exploiting desperate asylum seekers with potentially lethal consequences, amid freezing temperatures and dangerous passages.

Meanwhile the Grand Forks sector, which covers Minnesota and North Dakota, has reported 90 apprehensions in the three months since October 1.

The figure is more than for the whole of the 2022 fiscal year, when 80 were apprehended between September 30, 2021 and October 1, 2022.

It comes as a surprise as officials focus on clogging the southern border, which has reached crisis point as thousands migrants seek entry from Mexico.

The deadly consequences were laid bear a year ago when an Indian family of four was found dead just north of the Grand Forks sector.

At the beginning of January, a Haitian man, Fritznel Richard, died just north of the Swanton Sector, having frozen to death while trying to reach his wife in the US.

‘Swanton Sector’s greatest concern in carrying out our mission of border security is the preservation of life – the lives of community residents we are sworn to protect, the lives of our Border Patrol Agents carrying out the mission day-in and day-out in the field, and the lives of the individuals, families, and children we are charged with apprehending as they attempt to circumvent legal processes for entry,’ said Garcia.

‘Unfortunately, the transnational criminal organizations that stand to profit from the increased flow of human traffic care only about profits and have no concern for the welfare of those whose plight they seek to exploit for financial gain.’

Border Patrol said the number of migrants encountered in the sector during the 2023 fiscal year – which began in October – had already surpassed the 12 months of 2022’s fiscal year. In December, a record 441 people were apprehended in the sector.

The latest data ‘represent a sustained increase in illegal border crossings as we head into the harshest winter months,’ they said.

Overnight temperatures in the zone regularly drop to 12F, and have dropped below zero in previously years.

‘Unpredictable storm fronts bring ice and significant snow accumulation throughout the extended winter season,’ the Border Patrol warned.

‘These geographic and weather features can make traversing unfamiliar territory perilous.

‘Additionally, the risk of hypothermia from sustained or even brief outdoor exposure to near-freezing temperatures in wet or windy conditions is significant.’

Garcia tweeted: ‘In less than four months, Swanton Sector’s apprehensions have surpassed the COMBINED two prior years (FY2021-2022).

‘In the face of this adversity, our #BorderPatrol Agents remain steadfast in their portrayal of our ideals: Vigilance, Integrity, & Service to Country. #HonorFirst.’

Kathryn Siemer, acting patrol agent in charge of the station in Pembina, North Dakota – one of seven stations in the Grand Forks sector – said the sharp spike in encounters was due in part to Canada loosening its COVID restrictions.

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