Despite tougher measures, human smuggling along the Canada-U.S. border remains a serious issue, with recent incidents highlighting ongoing challenges.
Quebec: Human smuggling is still a big problem along the border with the U.S., even with the cold weather and more law enforcement. Recent court records show two incidents from the weekend that highlight this ongoing issue.
On Sunday, U.S. Border Patrol chased two vehicles trying to smuggle people across the Quebec-New York border. One of the vehicles had a teenager and two kids inside, and agents had to draw their guns during the chase.
Earlier on Saturday, agents caught two suspected migrants from Latin America trying to cross the Vermont-Quebec border. This attempt was linked to a smuggler based in Canada who has been active for a couple of years.
Illegal crossings from Canada have been getting more attention lately, especially after former President Trump threatened tariffs on Canadian goods unless Canada did more to stop migrants and fentanyl from crossing the border.
While the flow of people and drugs from Canada is much smaller than what comes from Mexico, Canada is still trying to address these concerns. They recently announced $1.3 billion in new security spending, which includes equipping the RCMP with Black Hawk helicopters.
Despite the winter weather and tougher border security, smuggling networks are still operating in an area known as the Swanton Sector. This region runs from eastern Ontario to Quebec’s border with New Hampshire and sees most of the illegal crossings from Canada.
On Saturday morning, the Border Patrol got a tip about people moving along a dirt road near Lake Memphremagog. They found footprints in the snow and tracked down a Honda SUV with two people who had crossed into the U.S. on foot.
One of the passengers, a Guatemalan national, admitted he was working for a smuggler who had helped him cross the border illegally two years ago. He said this was his third smuggling run and that he was paid for each person he helped.
On Sunday, agents spotted two vehicles near Churubusco, New York, leading to a high-speed chase. One vehicle crashed into a ditch, and the driver, a U.S. citizen, was arrested. Inside were eight people, including children, from the U.K. and India.
While this was happening, the second vehicle tried to escape but was eventually stopped. The driver admitted he was smuggling to support a drug habit. One passenger said they were scared during the wild ride and begged the driver to slow down.
