Patrol agents in Minnesota and North Dakota continue to apprehend foreign nationals brought in by human smugglers in the dead of winter and illegally crossing the northern border from Canada, reports The Center Square.  

Instead of flying from Mexico and other countries to Canada to enter legally through ports of entry, border agents say foreign nationals are flying to Canada to enter the U.S. illegally between ports of entry while intentionally seeking to evade capture by law enforcement. But they do so at their own peril as temperatures reach double digits below zero and heavy snow is prohibitive for travel on foot and by car. 

Minnesota and North Dakota are located in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Grand Forks Sector, which has 7 Border Patrol stations responsible for covering 8 midwestern states and 861 miles of shared international border with Canada. In 2022, Border Patrol agents in the Grand Forks Sector apprehended 171 illegal foreign nationals and reported 10 who turned back to Canada. Grand Forks Sector agents also reported 293 gotaways.