(NewsNation) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection has moved 25 additional agents to the U.S.-Canada border because of a rise in illegal crossings there.
“For the last two years, we’ve left our northern border open by deploying all our agents down South, which really created an atmosphere where the cartels and other criminal organizations really took advantage,” said Sean Walsh, president of the Swanton Sector of the National Border Patrol Council.
While additional agents are helpful, Walsh told NewsNation tougher laws are needed as there is no way to tell exactly how many people have made it into the U.S. illegally.
“This administration needs to fix the policies, that’s the resource we need,” said Walsh
The increase in illegal crossings has also led to a high number in “got aways.”
Between October and January, border agents in the Swanton Sector stopped 1,500 people trying to illegally cross from Canada into Vermont. This was nearly 850% more than last year, when agents stopped just 160 people during the same period.
Agents see many of the same issues at the northern border as they do at the southern border, including drugs and human trafficking, according to Swanton Sector Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia.
“A lot of times it is a smuggling case, and or migrants that are looking to be smuggled,” said Garcia.
The issue has sometimes sparked tension between Canadian and U.S. officials.
In February, New York City Mayor Eric Adams began busing migrants to the Canadian border, where he claimed migrants wanted to end up.
François Legault, the premier of Quebec, has called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to renegotiate asylum rules with the U.S. and shut down Roxham Road, which leads to a popular border crossing site.