Niagara border agents dealing with uptick in illegal crossings

Rob Creenan, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read
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Dec. 30—Responding to illegal border crossings via the Niagara River has become "a weekly occurrence," according to a Niagara Border Patrol station agent.

Brady Waikel, who is in charge of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in the Falls, said illegal crossings have become more of an issue since October, with people crossing the river on rafts into the lower Niagara River communities of Lewiston and Youngstown.

"In no way is the border being overrun, yet we're seeing more of an uptick than prior years," Waikel said, calling the situation manageable. "If you're safe last month, you're safe this month."

Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte confirmed they had worked with Border Patrol on at least five calls the past month regarding migrants crossing the river. The Youngstown Police Department, Niagara County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also been involved in catching illegal crossers.

Waikel said this increased number of illegals crossing is part of a national trend, with Customs and Border Protection recording more than 3.2 million encounters in the 2023 fiscal year, from October 2022 to Sept 2023.

Of those, 189,402 encounters were at the Northern Land Border. The Buffalo Field Office, whose area of responsibility is Upstate New York, and Buffalo Sector accounted for 84,715 of those encounters during that fiscal year, a noted increase from 9,732 in FY 2021 and 63,484 in FY 2022.

Through the first two months of FY 2024, the Buffalo Field Office and Buffalo Sector have had 10,208 encounters, down from the 16,008 the year before.

Waikel explained that since Canada does not require visas for people traveling from Mexico, a lot of migrants originating from there will fly to Canada first and then try to cross the border. Their reasons for coming to the U.S. have been seeking a better life, escaping the effects of climate change, and claiming asylum.

The migrants detained have been a variety of nationalities mostly from Mexico and South American countries with a few from India.

"We're trying to get folks to stop trying to cross the river this time of year," Waikel said, with the Niagara River's temperature at night being around 40 degrees. "It's more of a safety issue."

He added that no migrants so far gotten hurt from making this river crossing, with those they catch given dry clothes and medical supplies if needed.

Entering the U.S. without an inspection is a misdemeanor charge, with the caught migrants transferred to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement custody and will end up being deported.

Not all the migrants crossing have been caught, with Border Patrol continuing any investigations for those.

The Buffalo Sector headquarters on Grand Island has a 24-hour toll-free number, 1-800-331-0353, for reporting any suspicious activity.