January 31, 2023
In less than four months, Swanton Sector’s apprehensions have surpassed the COMBINED two prior years.
Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia, United States Border Patrol Swanton Sector, on a 740+% increase in apprehensions and encounters within the Swanton Sector of the northern U.S. border.
The Swanton Sector consists mainly of the U.S. northern border in parts of upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Why It Matters: The U.S. has seen a historic increase of encounters at the U.S. southwest border, with consistently more than 200,000 encounters a month since last year – the most in modern data collection. But the increase is not limited to the South. The northern border has also seen an increase, and alarm has risen as this continues during the “harshest winter months” – which leads to dangerous conditions for everyone involved, from those attempting to enter the U.S. and border patrol agents. Border Patrol says they have encountered “family groups with children (aged as young as a few months old)” and say many are “ill-informed of the dangers and poorly outfitted for the weather and terrain,” where the temperature drops into the single-digits (Fahrenheit).
“Unfortunately, the transnational criminal organizations that stand to profit from the increased flow of human traffic care only about profits and have no concern for the welfare of those whose plight they seek to exploit for financial gain,” Sector Chief Garcia said.
by Jenna Lee,
