Migrants persist in their attempts to infiltrate the Swanton Sector, resulting in an unprecedented number of arrests this fiscal year, as reported by Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia via a social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Garcia stated, "Since October 1, 2023, Swanton Sector Border Patrol Agents have apprehended more than 3,100 subjects from 55 countries (more than Fiscal Years 2022, 21, 20 & 19 combined)."
A news release from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) revealed that agents had already documented 367 migrant arrests during this time last year, despite the region's negative temperatures. This figure represented more arrests during January than the total for the previous twelve years combined (344 in total). The surge in apprehensions can be traced back to the beginning of the fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2022-Jan.31, 2023).
Expressing his concern about the situation, Garcia said: "As we progress deeper into winter and continue to address the ongoing pace of illicit cross-border traffic, the level of concern for the lives and welfare of our Border Patrol Agents and those we are encountering - particularly vulnerable populations - continues to climb. It cannot be stressed enough: not only is it unlawful to circumvent legal means of entry into the United States, but it is extremely dangerous, particularly in adverse weather conditions, which our Swanton Sector has in incredible abundance."
Despite bone-chilling temperatures, migrants are undeterred from illegally crossing from Canada into America according to CBP's news release. Agents operating within the Swanton sector continue to encounter families with young children including infants. In December of 2022 alone, Border Patrol agents led search-and-rescue missions that included incidents in Newport, Vermont and Burke, New York, reflecting the agency's commitment to saving lives even at the risk of their own agents.
