Illegal US-Canada Border Crossings Increase, Many Are Mexican

By Neil P. First Posted: May 10, 2020 07:00 AM EDT

Federal data shows that many people of different races have been apprehended for illegally crossing the border of the U.S. and Canada, according to a recently published article.

Trump's Success in Reducing the Number of Illegal Migrants

President Donald Trump has successfully reduced the number of illegal migrants who are crossing the Mexico and U.S. border. The new immigration policy of Pres. Trump's administration made it harder for a foreign individual to enter the country illegally.

President Trump intensified his campaign against illegal migrants in the southern border by asking the Mexican government to send their troops as well to guard the border.

While it is true that the present administration has successfully cracked down on the number of people who illegally cross the southern border, it is now ironic how many people illegally cross the northern border.

Number of People Who Illegally Cross the Northern Border

According to the federal data obtained by a news outlet, the number of people who cross the US-Canada border has increased in the past three years. The data shows that many of the apprehended persons were Mexican.

People apprehended identified themselves as Romanians, Haitians, and Indians have significantly increased also. The number of people indicated in the federal data is only limited to those who were apprehended and does not include those who overstayed in the country.

In the data obtained, 446 out of 1,586 Mexicans illegally crossed the northern borders during the 2019 fiscal year. It was also found that it is easier to cross the US-Canada border than the US-Mexico border.

How People Illegally Cross the Northern Border

One of the Mexicans who now works in a Vermont dairy farm shared on how they illegally crossed the northern borders. He chose not to be named for safety purposes and for him not to lose his job as well.

According to Diego, he arrived in the country in 2017, and he decided to cross the northern border rather than the southern border because it was cheaper and more manageable. His trip cost him $2,500, and he was with other people.

One of the factors seen as to why it is easier to cross the northern border is because Canada lifted the requirement for Mexican citizens to apply for a visa before they can enter the country. This was done by the Canadian government to strengthen its relationship with Mexico. In 2017, a similar change was made for Romanians.

Diego shared their journey from Canada to Toronto. He said that there were five them, and each paid $2,500 just to cross the northern border through a guide that they trusted. However, later on, he heard that the person who arranged their trip was arrested and deported back to Mexico.

Despite this, the Canadian government said that they are monitoring the immigration system of their country closely, and lifting the requirement restriction is not a guarantee that they can cross the borders of the U.S. and Canada illegally.

They also added that they would suspend the said provision if necessary to preserve the immigration integrity of Canada.