On the snowy border between New York and Canada, the local sheriff’s office is asking the US Border Patrol to put more staff behind what locals call a growing crisis: the number of illegal border crossings in the area during the last five months is almost 10 times more than in the same period last year, and those who cross the border are in danger of freezing to death.
From October 1 to February 28, about 2,000 migrants crossed the border between Canada and New Hampshire, Vermont and New York south through the forests, compared to just 200 crossings in the same period the previous year.
The immigrants are primarily from Mexico and can travel to Canada without a visa before crossing into the US illegally, often to join their families.
Last weekend, Clinton County, New York Sheriff David Favro’s team helped Border Patrol rescue 39 migrants, some whose clothing had frozen to their bodies.
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