Washington state sees 575% increase in smuggling operations across US/Canada border: report

Border Patrol agents in Washington state have seen a 575 percent increase in seizures of smuggling vehicles used in the transport of illegal immigrants, according to a new report.

It was reported in March that illegal immigration crossings have skyrocketed across the US/Canada border compared to last fiscal year.


 
Border Patrol documents obtained by The Daily Caller show that agents at the Blaine station have seized 27 vehicles so far in the 2023 fiscal year. That is a steep increase from the four that were seized in all of 2022.

According to the documents, in July, border agents at the station arrested 10 drivers of smuggling vehicles and made 103 apprehensions of illegal migrants.

An official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the outlet that the vehicles are used by human traffickers smuggling in illegal immigrants mostly from China, Mexico, and India.

The official told the outlet, “A lot of the load drivers turn out to be legal permanent residents, asylees, or just straight up illegal [aliens] that have been living here for a while.”

According to federal data, the Blaine sector has seen a massive surge in illegal immigration, with over 900 encounters with illegal immigrants just between October and June, compared to approximately 400 in all of the 2022 fiscal year.

Jason Allen, president of the National Border Patrol Council’s chapter in the Blaine, Spokane, and Havre sectors, serving parts of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Montana, told the Daily Caller, “Blaine sector has not been immune to the recent surge of illegal immigration that has been occurring throughout the country, largely due to the failed immigration policy of the current administration. It is no surprise that with such an increase in smuggling attempts, there is a corresponding increase in vehicle seizures.” 

A former agent told the outlet that there are no fences or barriers in Blaine to prevent illegal crossings and that outdated technology and a shortage of agents are also hurting the agency’s ability to effectively patrol the area.

The former agent said, “Even though deployments have gone way down, we are still required to provide virtual support to the Southern Borders to assist with their processing. Every shift, every station. Taking manpower away from the line.” 

“Terrain-wise, it ranges from beaches all the way up to mountainous regions, same as the Southern Border,” the agent added. “With cities, and their publicly available areas, built close to the border for illegal aliens to blend in with pretty quickly.”

According to US Customs and Border Protection data, there were over 6,400 encounters with illegal immigrants at the northern border between October 2022 and June, an increase from approximately 1,200 in all of the 2022 fiscal year.