Migrants Rescued from Freezing Temps in NY, Vermont near Canadian Border

Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents rescued migrants in New York and Vermont from dangerous weather conditions after they entered the U.S. from Canada. One of the incidents involved a migrant family including small children.

A supervisory Border Patrol agent in North Troy, Vermont, observed a person collapse on the side of Main Street on December 3, according to a statement from Swanton Sector Border Patrol officials. The agent notified local EMS officials and began providing emergency medical assistance.

Other agents quickly arrived in the area and assisted the supervisory agents in wrapping the suspected migrant in blankets. They also moved the person into the Border Patrol vehicle to begin the warming process. The agents suspected hypothermia as temperatures approached freezing in rainy conditions.

EMS workers transported the person later identified as a Haitian citizen, to the North County Hospital in Newport, Vermont. Doctors admitted the man for hypothermia and “other medial issues exacerbated by prolonged exposure to rain and cold temperatures,” officials reported. Due to the severity of his condition, doctors transported the Haitian migrant to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont.

“The dangers posed by trying to cross the border illegally, especially during winter months are very real and can be fatal,” said Patrol Agent in Charge, Michael Shick in a written statement. “This was a perfect example of the work that agents encounter and are prepared to deal with on a daily basis. Although this incident resulted in a rescue, the reality is that this situation could have ended in a recovery and as we get deeper into the winter months the likelihood of these types of encounters ending poorly rises exponentially.”

One day earlier, Swanton Sector agents in Churubusco, New York, worked with a local resident to rescue a group of migrants who had crossed the Canadian border and became disoriented due to “weather-related trauma.” The group included a family with small children. Officials did not disclose the nationality of the migrant family.

Swanton sector officials warned:

Hypothermia is a life-threatening condition of temperature loss from the body at a rate faster than it is produced.  Low body temperature impacts brain function, which can cause disorientation and difficulty moving.  Hypothermia is especially dangerous because a person may not know that it is happening and may further be incapacitated to do anything about it.  Although associated with “freezing” temperatures, hypothermia can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40 degrees Fahrenheit) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in water.

The Swanton Sector is experiencing an exponential increase in migrants being apprehended crossing the Canadian border into Vermont and New York. Numbers began jumping in May 2022, but during the first two months of the new Fiscal Year 23, the sector experienced a 484 percent increase over the same period one month earlier, Breitbart Texas reported.

The Swanton Sector along the U.S. border with Canada is normally a slow sector with an average of about 40 migrant apprehensions per month, according to officials reports from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reviewed by Breitbart Texas. However, in March 2022, that number began to creep up from 40 in February to 236 in September.

During the first two months of the new fiscal year, Swanton Sector agents apprehended 473 migrants in total. This compares to 1,065 migrant apprehensions for the entire Fiscal Year 2022. In FY 2021 and 2020, Swanton agents apprehended only 365 and 574 migrants respectively.