While much attention during the Biden administration has been given to the migrant crisis at the southern border, detected illegal crossings at the U.S.-Canada border are running at "historic" levels, The Washington Times reported.
The Border Patrol's Swanton sector, which covers New Hampshire, Vermont, and the northern tip of New York, generally is the most active region on the northern border.
The Times reported that the sector detected more illegal crossings (367) last month than in the previous 12 Januarys combined despite the frigid weather.
Agents told the Times that detected illegal crossings are at "historic" levels.
"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," Robert N. Garcia, chief patrol agent in the Swanton sector, told the Times.
An official said some migrants consider it easier to sneak into the U.S. from the north than from the south.
"You're seeing some Mexican single adults now going to Canada and coming across the Swanton sector because it's easy," Mark Morgan, who led Customs and Border Protection in the latter part of the Trump administration, told the Times. "Our southern border, as bad as our southern border is, it's better than our northern border."
The total of detected illegal crossings at the Swanson sector since Oct. 1 tops 1,500 and is more than all of 2022.
Agents across the entire northern border have encountered more than 2,200 illegal immigrants so far this fiscal year. That's about equal to all of the 2022 fiscal year.
The numbers remain low compared to those at the southern border, but they continue to go up.
More broadly, Customs and Border Protection statistics show that more than 13,000 unauthorized migrant encounters when people who showed up at ports of entry without permission are included.
While Canadians comprise the largest number, Indian nationals are close behind with nearly 2,500 last month. Other migrants came from China (roughly 700), Mexico (nearly 700), Philippines (200-plus), Brazil (150-plus) and Colombia (150-plus).
The Blaine sector, in western Washington state, is the Border Patrol's second most active sector. Blaine and Swanton combine for more than three-quarters of illegal activity on the northern border, and both have reported a ninefold increase this year from this time in 2022, the Times reported.
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