Late last month, U.S. Border Patrol stopped a human smuggling operation on the St. Clair River, which separates Michigan and Ontario.
On June 25, border agents from the Marysville Border Patrol Station arrested four individuals after they saw a vessel that came from Canadian waters make landfall in the United States. The vessel dropped off three passengers who got into a vehicle that was waiting for them, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The boat captain took off back to Canada. All three passengers were arrested and charged with unlawful entry after being removed from the United States.
Collaborative efforts between law enforcement in Michigan and Canada resulted in the arrest of the boat captain once he got back to Canada.
“Our commitment to our community’s safety was on full display here. Using all our assets we were able to end a smuggling operation,” said Chief Patrol Agent John R. Morris of the Detroit Border Patrol Sector. “These arrests display the great teamwork between our Border Patrol agents, Air and Marine operators, and our Canadian law enforcement partners.”
The driver of the vehicle was charged with Alien Smuggling. The person operating the vessel will be before the Courts in Sarnia, Ontario in September.
Border Patrol did not release the names, ages, or nationalities of those involved.
Last month, Townhall covered how illegal border crossings from Canada to the United States have escalated, specifically between Quebec and New York. One area where apprehensions occurred was Roxham Road, which was closed for good in 2023 due to the overwhelming number of asylum seekers who used it to cross the border.
According to CBC, in 2023, border agents recorded 12,000 apprehensions at the northern border, CBC noted. In 2022, this figure was 3,600. In 2021, it was 1,006. This year, there have been 5,600 apprehensions from January to April.
Sgt. Daniel Dubois of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who leads the Champlain border patrol unit, told the outlet that his team has been facing a “surge of human smuggling activity” this year. Over some weekends, they’ve recorded 300 interceptions of “U.S.-bound runs across along the 168-kilometre border stretch they patrol.”