Border Patrol agents stationed at the U.S.-Canada border are witnessing an increase in illicit drugs and illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the United States, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Residents in the Swanton Sector told the Daily Caller News Foundation they are worried about their safety. Locals reported illegal immigrants trespassing on their property and vehicle break-ins.
CBP reporting revealed that U.S. Border Patrol seized 1,500 pounds of drugs from October 2022 through February 2023. Only four months into fiscal year 2023, drug seizures already outpaced the entire fiscal year 2022, when Border Patrol agents confiscated 1,300 pounds of drugs at the northern border.
From October 2022 through February 2023, the Office of Field Operations at the U.S.-Canada border seized 2,000 pounds of drugs. In fiscal year 2022, agents seized nearly 59,000 pounds.
U.S. Border Patrol agents are responsible for patrolling and confiscating illicit drugs between the ports of entry, whereas CBP’s Office of Field Operations monitors the ports of entry, including vehicle inspections.
Most narcotics seized at the northern border are the stimulant khat, marijuana, methamphetamines, and cocaine.
In addition to the increase in illicit drugs, CBP also reported a surge in illegal immigrants crossing into the Swanton Sector, which includes areas of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. In January, Border Patrol apprehended 367 illegal migrants.
“Despite area temperatures reaching -4 degrees Fahrenheit, January’s total surpassed the preceding January apprehensions for the past 12 years combined,” CBP stated in a February press release.
According to Republican New York Representative Elise Stefanik, the 138 ports of entry along the 5,525-mile northern border are patrolled by only 2,019 Border Patrol agents.
“These surges in border encounters and drug smuggling coupled with a shortage of Border Patrol agents and lack of security measures place America’s northern border at serious risk. As winter turns to spring, we are deeply concerned the northern Border Patrol agents will be even more overwhelmed, under-resourced, and under-manned,” Stefanik wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“We ask that you provide a full account of what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will do to mitigate the flow of illegal migrants and illicit drugs into the U.S. across our northern border,” Stefanik added.
CBP did not respond to a request for comment, the DCNF reported.
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