McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — At a time when apprehensions along the Southwest border are at historic lows, arrests on the northern border in Maine are at historic highs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says.
The number of arrests by Border Patrol agents in Maine in April was the single highest month in 24 years. That included the arrest of 113 migrants from 16 different countries, CBP says.
The Border Patrol’s Houlton Sector, across from Woodstock, Canada, reported Border Patrol agents coordinated air transport with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement Removal Operations agents to transfer 29 people who were apprehended from Portland, Maine, on May 11 to other parts of the country for further processing.
“Here in Maine, Border Patrol Agents are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to keep our border secure. If you attempt to cross the border illegally, you will be apprehended. If you are present in the United States without a legal status, you will be detained and removed in accordance with all applicable immigration laws,” Houlton Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Craig Shepley said.
Shepley encourages those in the country illegally to self deport using the CBP Home app offered by the Department of Homeland Security, which can be accessed at the CBP website.
In April, encounters by Border Patrol agents on the Southwest border were down 93% from April 2024. This included just 1,342 arrests in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas — an 84% drop from the previous year, CBP reports.
The No. 1 sector on the Southwest border for arrests in April was El Paso with 1,959 apprehensions, according to the latest data by CBP. The El Paso Sector stretches from the New Mexico-Arizona state line to Hudspeth County, Texas.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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