The Border Patrol Swanton Sector, which contains New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont, saw an increase in migrant apprehensions between October 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022.
“Combined apprehensions and encounters in Fiscal Year 2023 have already surpassed that of Fiscal Year 2022 and recent trends represent a sustained increase in illegal border crossings as we head into the harshest winter months,” according to a press release.
From The Maine Wire:
In the Swanton sector, which covers Vermont and New Hampshire, illegal border crossings began increasing sharply in March of 2022.That month, CPB encountered 57 attempted border crossers.In Dec., CPB apprehended 352 attempted border crossers — the highest level recorded over the last three years.In fiscal year 2022, 847 single adults were apprehended by CPB attempting to cross into Vermont or New Hampshire illegally.Since the start of fiscal year 2023, which began in October of last year, there have been 861 single adults apprehended attempting to cross the border.
The agents are concerned mainly due to the cold weather:
Swanton Sector’s terrain along the International Boundary with Canada includes rural and remote areas and ranges from mountains to lowland swamps. During the regional winter, which encompasses an extended season due to the sector’s geographic location and weather patterns, sustained sub-freezing temperatures subject both large and small bodies of water within our area of operations to freezing over. Unpredictable storm fronts bring ice and significant snow accumulation throughout the extended winter season. These geographic and weather features can make traversing unfamiliar territory perilous. Additionally, the risk of hypothermia from sustained or even brief outdoor exposure to near-freezing temperatures in wet or windy conditions is significant.These environmental challenges, coupled with the sharp increase in illicit cross-border traffic, generate great concern for the potential loss of human life. In recent press releases, Swanton Sector highlighted several instances of family groups and individuals rescued from cold-weather-related crises and trauma. Unfortunately, these types of events have not diminished as Swanton Sector Border Patrol continues to encounter family groups with children (aged as young as a few months old) crossing uncertain terrain in single-digit (Fahrenheit) temperatures. In many cases, Border Patrol Agents tasked with detecting, identifying, and apprehending individuals attempting to unlawfully cross the border end up rescuing them and rendering potentially life-saving aid—all while the Agents are selflessly placing themselves in harm’s way.
Border crossings into Maine, the Houlton sector, also increased, but not as much as in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Maine witnessed 143 single adults in 2020 and 2021 combined.
The state saw 247 single adults in 2022. Border patrol agents already apprehended 47 single adults in Fiscal Year 2023.
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