According to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol) and U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), immigrants wanting to enter the U.S. illegally are ditching the southern border and flying into Canada and then walking south across the northern border.
Compared to previous years, the numbers of people crossing south from Canada are going up, with the immigrants sometimes using the help of human smugglers.
121 people were apprehended in the U.S. in June for crossing illegally from Canada in one area known as the Swanton sector, which covers a part of New York state, Vermont, and New Hampshire, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That is more than double the amount of people apprehended in previous months of June in the last two years.
The federal police force says it is not illegal for immigrants to come to Canada so they can't do anything to stop them from walking out. There have been all kinds of nationalities attempting to cross the border including Romanians, Mexicans, some Haitians and Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorians.
RCMP Sgt. Camille Habel of Quebec commented on the illegality of the situation,
"The smuggling is the offence — or helping cross, that is what we investigate."
"Recently we've seen cases where there would be one lone individual that was helping a group of individuals wanting to cross."
USBP agent Richard Ross runs a border patrol station in Newport, Vermont and says smuggling cases are increasing.
"There has been a definite uptick, and we have seen increasing group sizes last fall, where we apprehended a smuggling event that was 14 individuals," he said.
Those who are caught entering the country unlawfully through Canada are often held in the U.S. until their deportation, sometimes with the option to post bail.
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