Immigration agents stationed along the United States’ northern border arrested a group of Chinese nationals trying to sneak into Maine from Canada.
"After noticing suspicious activity along the border, vigilant Fort Fairfield Border Patrol agents arrested three Chinese nationals attempting to use the cover of darkness to illegally enter the United States," U.S. Border Patrol Houlton sector said in a statement.
According to the statement, a fourth Chinese national who was suspected of attempting to pick up the group and smuggle them into the country was also arrested nearby.
It added, "A driver from New York, also a Chinese national who is already in immigration proceedings, was also arrested and suspected of attempting to further the illegal entry."
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The arrest comes as counties in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire have seen a record uptick in illegal border crossings in the last quarter, as migrants are reportedly crossing the Canadian border to avoid detection.
U.S. officials at the northern border have recorded 191,603 encounters with people crossing into the United States last year, a 41% increase from 2022.
While most still use legal ports of entry, more than 12,200 migrants were apprehended crossing illegally from Canada in 2023, a 241% uptick from the 3,578 arrested the previous year.
Chinese nationals crossing through the northern border into Maine is very rare, according to Fox News’ Bill Melugin, who regularly covers immigration crossings over the U.S.-Mexico border.
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The number of Chinese nationals seeking entry into the U.S. has been increasing since fiscal 2021, when more than 450 were apprehended.
In fiscal 2022, numbers increased to more than 2,000 in total across the whole of the U.S.-Canadian border.
In fiscal 2023, that number then surged to more than 24,314.
As of the end of January, there have been more than 18,750 encounters so far in fiscal 2024, which began in October. There were nearly 6,000 encounters in December alone.
Border Patrol encourages people to report any suspicious activity to Houlton Sector headquarters at 207-532-6512, ext. 5.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
