The crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is leading many immigrants to choose to enter the country illegally through the northern border with Canada.
The number of illegal crossings in this region over the past five months is nearly 10 times more than in the same period last year. It is important to note that it is winter in the northern hemisphere, and the region typically experiences snow and freezing temperatures at this time.
From October 1 to February 28, about 2,000 immigrants crossed the border between Canada and New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, compared to only 200 crossings in the same period the previous year.
The immigrants are mostly from Mexico and can travel to Canada without a visa before entering the U.S. illegally, often to reunite with family members already living in the country.
While in the southern part of the country, immigrants face different dangers, in the north, the greatest risk is the potentially fatal cold.
According to Border Patrol agents, immigrants often seek shelter in empty warehouses and barns to protect themselves from the cold.
Local residents know that most immigrants crossing the area are not a threat, but they feel uneasy about the unusual activity.
Unlike the southern border, where more than 16,000 Border Patrol agents are responsible for about 2,000 miles, around 2,000 agents patrol the 5,000-mile border between the U.S. and Canada, which includes the land borders of Alaska, making it the longest international land border in the world.
The governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, has asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to increase enforcement along the 51-mile border of his state with Canada or allow local law enforcement to have more authority to do so.
“In recent months, the state of New Hampshire has tried to help the federal government secure our northern border. These offers of assistance have been repeatedly rejected. The Biden administration has cut funding and undermined the state’s ability to assist in patrolling the northern border,” said Sununu, a Republican.
Source: NBC News