Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents reported a historic high of 19,385 migrant arrests after illegal crossings from Canada into the U.S. during Fiscal Year 24—a surge of nearly 180 percent over the previous year’s record numbers. According to Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia, this single-year figure surpasses total apprehensions from the past 17 years combined in the Swanton Sector, which covers eastern New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
The Swanton Sector witnessed this rise with migrants from 97 nations crossing the border. Chief Garcia noted that FY24 shattered the sector’s previous record of 6,925 apprehensions set in FY23, which had already surpassed the combined total of the preceding 11 years.
The trend shows a significant increase since FY2020, where only 574 migrants were detained under the Trump administration. By FY22, the Biden-Harris administration’s first complete year, that number rose to 1,065, doubling from FY20. The latest figures underline a sharp increase as the sector’s agents encountered migrants from a wide array of countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, and Venezuela.
This sharp rise highlights ongoing challenges for Border Patrol agents tasked with managing a highly diverse and increasingly active northern border sector.