Border agents in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire have been busier than ever. According to the chief patrol agent of New England’s Swanton sector, Robert Garcia, agents have apprehended more than 12,000 undocumented immigrants from 85 countries in the first eight months of fiscal year 2024, which began last October. This number dwarfs the arrests made in previous years.
In 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 7,000 arrests, surpassing the combined total of the previous 11 years.
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In March, several members of Congress expressed concern about the unprecedented surge in apprehensions along the northern border. Some members accused Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of directing his agency to abandon its duty of protecting the nation’s sovereign borders.
Comparing the first four months of fiscal year 2023 to the same period in 2024, Border Patrol agents apprehended just over 2,200 undocumented immigrants in 2023. The number rose to more than 4,700 in 2024 — a 114% increase.
Lawmakers are calling this surge unsustainable and urging the administration to secure the border. They also raised concerns about fentanyl coming through the borders, noting that the amount seized this fiscal year at the northern border could kill more than 270 million people.
In April, Mayorkas testified in front of two congressional committees, emphasizing the need for additional funds and resources to secure the nation’s borders and calling on Congress to pass immigration reform.
