The United States-Canada border has received an influx of Border Patrol agents to counter the surge of migrants — many reportedly from Mexico — trying to unlawfully enter through the northern border.
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, 25 border agents have been transferred north to combat the expanding rush of illegal immigrants in that region, NBC News reported.
Their assignment: The Swanton Sector of the U.S.-Canada border, which covers all of Vermont, and parts of New York and New Hampshire.
"While the apprehension numbers are small compared to other areas with irregular migration flows, Swanton Sector apprehensions constitute a large change in this area," the CBP spokesperson told NBC. "The deployed team will serve as a force multiplier in the region and assist to deter and disrupt human smuggling activities being conducted in the Swanton Sector area of responsibility."
According to CBP data, encounters at the northern border have surged over the past two years, coinciding with President Joe Biden taking over the White House.
Also, overall encounters for January 2023 were reportedly up nearly 100% from the previous January.
At the Swanton Sector, there were only 24 reported encounters with migrants for the month of January 2022 ... compared to 367 encounters at the same area for January 2023.
According to The Hill, under the existing Title 42 program — a Trump-era health order which prevented asylum-seekers from crossing the southern border, due to the COVID-19 pandemic — law enforcement officials under the Biden administration are less likely to turn migrants away at the northern border.
As such, there has been a reported surge of migrants flying from Mexico to Canada, with hopes of entering America from the northern border.
"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," Garcia said.
"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," Garcia added.