Border Patrol agents in the Swanton Sector apprehended approximately 700 migrants who crossed the Canadian border into the U.S. in March. The record-shattering migrant apprehensions in March represent a more than 1000 percent increase over the previous year when agents apprehended 61 migrants.
Swanton Sector agents took approximately 700 migrants into custody in March compared to 418 in February — a month-to-month increase of 67 percent, according to an unofficial Border Patrol report reviewed by Breitbart Texas. In addition, approximately 350 more migrants are classified as known got-aways. This brings the total known border crossers in March to well over 1,000 migrants.
In late March, Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia tweeted multiple warnings about the dangers of illegally crossing the border from Canada.
On March 30 and 31, Canadian police recovered the bodies of eight migrants (including two young children) who died while attempting to cross the St. Lawrence River from Quebec into New York, Breitbart reported. Police continue to search for Casey Oakes whom they describe as a person of interest in the failed smuggling attempt.
The 700 migrants apprehended in March bring the total apprehensions for Fiscal Year 2023 to more than 2,600. This more than doubles the previous year’s total of 1,065 migrants and is nearly equal to the previous four years combined.
The apprehension of more than 2600 migrants in six months is on pace to shatter the record for the most Swanton Sector Migrant apprehensions. The previous record of 2,701 migrant apprehensions dates back to FY04.
So far this fiscal year, Border Patrol reports more than 1,500 migrant got-aways in the Swanton Sector. This brings the total number of known border crossers in the Swanton Sector to more than 4,200 migrants.
The Swanton Sector covers Vermont, New Hampshire, and part of New York.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
Editor’s Note: All numbers reported above for March 2023 apprehensions and got-aways come from unofficial Border Patrol reports obtained by Breitbart Texas. These numbers are subject to change when CBP releases the official Southwest Land Border Encounters Report later this month.