Illegal migrant crossings at a stretch of the US-Canada border that includes northern New York have skyrocketed, increasing over 50-fold since the Biden-Harris administration took office.
According to the US Border Patrol, the number of migrants apprehended in this area in 2024 exceeded the total for the last 17 years combined.
Border Patrol Chief Robert Garcia, who oversees the Swanton sector, stated that agents apprehended more than 19,000 illegal migrants from 97 countries in the 2024 fiscal year.
The Swanton sector covers over 200 miles of land border between Maine and the St. Lawrence River in New York. While these figures are smaller than illegal crossings at the southern border—where 54,000 were recorded in September 2023 alone—the northern border crossings are increasing significantly.
Border Patrol Agents in Swanton Sector have apprehended more than 19,222 subjects from 97 different countries since October 1, 2023, which is more than its last 17 fiscal years combined.
Report suspicious border activity in Swanton Sector: 1-800-689-3362 @USBPChief@CBP@DHSgov pic.twitter.com/BhUaYYi15B— Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia (@USBPChiefSWB) October 2, 2024
In 2021, only 365 illegal migrants were apprehended in the Swanton sector. By 2022, that number surpassed 1,000; in 2023, it nearly hit 7,000.
Nationwide, almost 190,000 illicit migrants crossed the northern border in 2023, six times the number from 2021. Current projections for fiscal year 2024 suggest the final figures will be similar to those of the previous year.
One reason for the surge in crossings at the northern border is that the Biden-Harris administration’s asylum restrictions, similar to those implemented under former President Donald Trump, do not apply to the north of the border.
These restrictions, which apply to the southern border, limit access to the asylum process for illegal crossers unless the number of crossings falls below 1,500 per day for an entire month. At the south of the border, single adults face detention while family units are released, but these restrictions do not impact crossings from Canada.
Border Patrol Agents in Swanton Sector have apprehended more than 19,222 subjects from 97 different countries since October 1, 2023, which is more than its last 17 fiscal years combined.
Report suspicious border activity in Swanton Sector: 1-800-689-3362 @USBPChief@CBP@DHSgov pic.twitter.com/BhUaYYi15B— Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia (@USBPChiefSWB) October 2, 2024
Residents near the Swanton sector in Vermont have witnessed the surge firsthand. In an interview with *The New York Post*, Chris Feeley, 52, from Swanton, described how his property has become a regular route for migrants entering the US.
He explained that one morning, from his hunting tree stand, he observed two men he described as “of Mexican descent” walking across his property, using an iPhone to follow a trail provided to them by smugglers. Feeley, stunned by the sight, contacted Border Patrol agents after the men passed by.
Feeley said agents advised him to carry a gun for self-protection as migrant smuggling activity in the area has surged in recent years. The Swanton sector’s vast, rural landscape makes it difficult for Border Patrol to patrol effectively, leaving vast areas vulnerable to unauthorised crossings. Some agents stationed along the northern border have been reassigned to the southern border to deal with the more significant influx of migrants there.
The surge in illegal crossings from Canada has raised concerns among border security officials as they work to address the growing issue.
Despite the focus on the southern border, the northern border’s vast and less secured terrain poses new challenges for Border Patrol agents as they attempt to manage the increasing number of illegal entries into the United States.
