The Border Patrol is asking for more agents to expand surveillance on the border with Canada, due to the increase in crossings of undocumented immigrants.
According to data from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office, to which the Patrol belongs, the sector is experiencing an 846% increase in irregular crossings, compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year.
In January, for example, there were 367 arrests, much more than the 12 in January 2022, a figure similar to other years.
From October – when fiscal year 2023 began – to date, 1,513 crossings have been made, that is, in less than four months the number of encounters with immigrants has already been exceeded, since in the entire fiscal year 2022 there were just over 1,000.
According to Fox News, Border Patrol Deputy Director Juan Garcia asked sector chiefs to request help in the Swanton Sector, which includes Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire.
“Due to the increase in number, the stations are saturated with tasks with the processing of large groups, which has contributed to escape events, pedestrian and vehicle incursions,” says the email quoted by the television.
The head of the Border Patrol, Robert García, indicated that in one of the operations 115 people from 12 countries were detained, but the majority were of Mexican origin.
Authorities have also highlighted the dangers immigrants face due to extreme weather in the areas through which they cross, which has claimed lives at other times.