U.S. federal agents along the Canadian border are on pace to arrest more than 14,000 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2024, a number that would shatter the record of 10,000 set just last year.
Through the first five months of fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol agents have arrested 6,039 illegals at the northern Border. There were 10,021 all of fiscal year 2023. Especially concerning to Republican lawmakers is that the record pace happened when temperatures reached sub-zero levels, which leaves some lawmakers asking what will the numbers look like when temperatures warm up.
Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Ryan Zinke, R-Mt., co-chairs of the Northern Border Security Caucus, sent a letter Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday documenting their “serious concern” over the “unprecedented surge” along the Canadian Border.
“Dangerous individuals continue to take advantage of the vast northern Border, which is the longest land border between two countries in the world, and relatively unguarded by natural barriers,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter, signed by 20 other GOP lawmakers.
“In FY 2024 alone, Border Patrol agents are on track to apprehend a record number of illegal immigrants at the northern border,” they added. “These statistics are yet another example of how the Biden administration is downplaying the serious nature of this orchestrated border crisis. Every state has now become a border state under your leadership — or lack thereof.”
Border agents have eight regions along the Canadian border that they guard. The Swanton sector — comprising all of New Hampshire and Vermont as well as a portion of upstate New York’s eastern border — has seen the biggest uptick in arrests in fiscal year 2024. More than 4,000 of the 6,000-plus arrests have come in that sector, double the amount from fiscal year 2023.
Further, CBP has intercepted 1,316 pounds of fentanyl on the northern border in fiscal year 2024, according to its data, enough to kill more than 270 million people, the Washington Examiner reported.
“While the southwest border has been overrun with drug smugglers, we cannot allow another avenue for deadly, illegal drugs into our country and our communities,” the letter read.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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