CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. (WCAX) – A surge in border-crossing apprehensions is putting pressure on officials in the North Country. It also spells danger for some migrants trying to enter the United States illegally.
The Swanton sector of the U.S. Border Patrol encompasses about 24,000 square miles, including much of Northern New York. Federal data shows that in the last fiscal year, apprehensions skyrocketed to more than 19,000. That’s almost three times that of the previous year.
Here’s a closer look at what the surge means for the North Country.
Maj. Nicholas Leon of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department calls in what he believes is someone or something standing on the U.S.-Canada border in Champlain, New York.
“It could be local traffic, somebody who lives by here. It could be somebody trying to cross the border. So, they are going to dispatch one of their units to go check on it and we are going sit here and check on it and we are going to sit here for a bit and see what happens,” he said.
Leon says it’s a call he’s made often over the last few years, after illegal border crossing apprehensions reached more than 19,000 in fiscal year 2024, according to the Border Patrol.
“Majority of the things that are coming across the border here are people and that is the concern. But there is always the drug trade, there is the money coming across, there are the weapons that are coming across, but the main thing we are finding here are people,” Leon said.
The surge has strained the Border Patrol’s resources and also increased the workload for federal prosecutors. For New York’s Northern District, immigration cases have made up 55% of cases in the last two years, with more than 1,300 active alien smuggling cases, which is the highest priority.
“We need to have really choose carefully those we are prosecuting and really have to emphasize the alien smuggling cases,” said Carla Freedman, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.
Freedman believes the surge in cases is largely due to a change made in Canada in 2019 which waived visa requirements for some countries. She believes it’s making it easier for bad actors to get into the U.S.
“What we have found is that these criminal organizations have utilized these smuggling routes and these criminal networks southbound, at a fee,” Freedman said.
The illegal smuggling has ended tragically for some migrants and resulted in charges against several people.
“Desperate people who want to come to the U.S. or bring their family to the U.S. and they see these ads on TikTok, and we guarantee your safety, we guarantee we will get you there. They can’t. They won’t. Don’t do it,” Freedman urged.
Canada has since reinstated its visa requirement and expanded outreach to U.S. law enforcement agencies, like the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, to address the problem.
As for that call Leon placed to the Border Patrol, it ended up being a false alarm.
“Obviously, there was something up here,” he said. “Could it have been a dog? Maybe. Let their agents know and then we’ll head back.”