Illegal U.S. northern border crossings up 142 percent from last year
Article subtitle:
The 5,525-mile-long U.S.-Canada border, the longest and busiest land boundary in the world, presents challenges to enforcement
Article publisher:
CBS News
Article date:
6 August 2018
Article category:
National News
Medium
Article Body:
CBS News has learned the number of people caught illegally crossing the United States' northern border is up 142 percent. Border Patrol agents apprehended 445 people entering the U.S. from Canada during the first six months of 2018; that compares with 184 during the same period last year.
The northern border is very easy to cross, which was actually the original intention. But it also makes it very difficult to secure.
An unguarded metal fence is the only thing keeping smugglers from entering a remote corner of New York State – a small part of the physical security infrastructure along America's northern border.
Norm Lague, the Border Patrol agent in charge here, says it's impossible to cover 100 percent of the entire 5,525-mile-long U.S.-Canadian border, the longest and busiest land boundary in the world....
Related
United States - Canada Border Threat and Risk Assessment, Department of Homeland Security, July 10, 2018.