U.S. border patrol flexes muscle ahead of winter, warns about illegal crossings By: Erik Pindera Posted: 7:02 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025

WARROAD, Minn. — American border officials say enforcement on both sides of the border since Donald Trump became U.S. president is responsible for a drop in the number of people who have tried to illegally cross the international boundary.

The United States Border Patrol has recorded a large decrease in the number of arrests of people heading into the U.S. from Canada in the past fiscal year, said Grand Forks sector Chief Patrol Agent Scott Garrett.

“(Illegal) cross border traffic is down tremendously,” he said at a news conference near the border town of Warroad, Minn.

In the Grand Forks sector, which covers the North Dakota and Minnesota border with Manitoba, apprehensions of people illegally crossing into the U.S. has remained about the same in both 2024 and 2025, about 250 people, said Alex Puppe, U.S. Border Patrol special operations supervisor for the area.

However, the number of people caught headed from the U.S. to Canada dropped from about 400 people in 2024 to 300 in 2025, he said.

The news conference, which was held to warn people not to cross the 49th parallel on foot during dangerous winter conditions, was attended by Canada Border Services Agency officials, who didn’t speak to reporters.

RCMP were unable to attend due to prior commitments, said American officials.

American law enforcement showed off technology used by agents to surveil and patrol the border, including drones and a truck with an infrared camera mounted on a 8.5-metre periscope that’s capable of spotting people from kilometres away.

Garrett said the Trump administration’s immigration policies and recent efforts by RCMP and Canadian border agents have had a heavy impact on illegal traffic.

“There are (more) resources spread across the border, on both sides of the border. We’ve seen RCMP and CBSA step up and have additional patrols on their side of the border. On our side of the border, we’re working, doing aerial patrols with them,” said Garrett.

“We are sending our folks in all directions, to different places around the country.”

In 2024, more than 23,500 people were apprehended after crossing into the U.S., while fewer than 8,000 have been caught in 2025. American border agents caught about 2,500 people headed north last year, compared to 3,200 this year, said Puppe.

Canada is being given credit for its enhanced border measures during a time of strained relations between the two nations.

U.S. President Donald Trump, threatening hefty tariffs ahead of his inauguration in January over his stated concerns about the northern border, claimed illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling from Canada were a “grave” threat to Americans.

Ottawa rejected the claims as unfounded, but beefed up border security by $1.3 billion to disrupt fentanyl smuggling and enhance surveillance.

The spending boost included two leased Black Hawk helicopters for the RCMP, as well as about 60 new drones. Further federal funding to increase the number of border agents was announced last month.

American officials said Tuesday far fewer people have tried to illegally cross the Canadian border into the U.S., as patrols on either side of the boundary have ratcheted up.

Trump, who has characterized illegal immigration as an “invasion,” has funnelled money and resources into border security and into enforcing immigration laws. Sweeping immigration raids in cities and elsewhere, particularly, have sparked protests.

Garrett issued a warning to would-be illegal migrants not to cross the international boundary on foot from either side, particularly in winter.

“To be clear, the border is closed. Crossing the border illegally will result in fines and penalties, arrest and prosecutions, and potentially worse… the loss of human lives.”

“To be clear, the border is closed. Crossing the border illegally will result in fines and penalties, arrest and prosecutions, and potentially worse — the loss of human lives,” said Garrett.

“Each year, people from around the world travel here, seeking to enter the United States illegally. They underestimate how cold it can truly get. They cross the border unprepared, having inadequate clothing, not understanding how quickly the onset of frostbite and hypothermia will set in.”

Garrett has issued the warning several times since the death of an Indian family of four who froze in a snow-covered field near Emerson in January 2022. Jagdish Patel, 39; his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and their three-year-old son, Dharmik, were found metres from the border.

Two men who were involved in smuggling the family were convicted and sentenced in Minnesota this year.

Harshkumar Patel, an Indian national living in the U.S., was convicted of organizing smuggling trips from Manitoba. Patel, who’s not related to the victims, was sentenced to 10 years. Steve Shand, a taxi driver from Florida who picked up migrants on the U.S. side in rented vehicles, got six-and-a-half years in prison.

Another man accused in the operation, Fenil Patel, was taken into custody in Canada on an extradition request from American justice officials earlier this year.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Erik Pindera
Reporter

Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.  Read more about Erik.

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