NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Border sector sees over 800% rise in Border Patrol encounters in Vermont!
In the face of dangerously cold weather conditions, parts of the northern U.S. border are still experiencing a remarkable rise in the number of illegal crossings, according to Customs and Border Patrol officials.
“Despite area temperatures reaching -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius), January’s total surpassed the preceding January apprehensions for the past 12 years combined,” the agency said in a Monday release.
According to agents responsible for the Swanton sector of the border, which covers northern Vermont and parts of New York, they encountered 367 migrants entering from Canada in January alone.
Since the start of the fiscal year, in October, agents have seen encounters or apprehensions rise at a rate of nearly 850%, they said. Some of those encountered are parents traveling through the cold with small children.
“Despite sub-freezing temperatures, Swanton Sector continues encountering family groups with young children, including infants, illegally crossing from Canada into the U.S.,” Customs and Border Patrol said.
Twice at the end of last year, according to CBP, they had to rescue migrants stranded in the weather.
“In December 2022, Border Patrol Agents led search-and-rescue efforts, providing life-saving aid in separate incidents occurring in Newport, VT, and Burke, NY. These incidents demonstrate BP Agents’ priority to preserve life, even at the risk of jeopardizing their own safety,” they said.
The agent responsible for the sector is urging migrant families to make use of the legal process for entering the country and not put their lives at risk.
“As we progress deeper into winter and continue to address the ongoing pace of illicit cross-border traffic, the level of concern for the lives and welfare of our Border Patrol Agents and those we are encountering — particularly vulnerable populations — continues to climb,” Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said in a statement.
“It cannot be stressed enough: not only is it unlawful to circumvent legal means of entry into the United States, but it is extremely dangerous, particularly in adverse weather conditions, which our Swanton Sector has in incredible abundance,” he said.
The warning comes as U.S. officials are struggling with historic crossings at the southern border.
A rise in migration from South America in September resulted, according to CBP officials, in the highest number of crossings ever in a single fiscal year. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, migrants were stopped 2.38 million times, up 37% from 1.73 million times the year before, CBP said in October.
President Joe Biden, during his State of the Union address to Congress last week, urged lawmakers to fund his plan to secure the border.
“America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts,” he said. “If you won’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border.”