US northern border illegal crossings rise; many are Mexicans

The number of people apprehended for illegally crossing from Canada into the United States along its northern border has nearly tripled over the past three years, and a growing portion are Mexican citizens, according to federal data. One Mexican man who crossed illegally to work on a Vermont dairy farm said it was easier than trying the southern border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics obtained by The Associated Press after a public records request provide new detail on what was apparent anecdotally: Along the border from Maine to Washington, 446 of the 1,586 illegal crossers apprehended in the 2019 fiscal year were Mexican, or 28%. That's up from 20 of 558, or just 3.6%, in 2016. The numbers also increased for Romanians — many identified as ethnic Roma — and other nationalities, such as Haitians and Indians. Those tallies don't include apprehensions for reasons other than illegal crossings, such as overstaying visas.