For years, the national conversation on immigration has focused almost exclusively on America’s southern border. Images of mass crossings, overwhelmed agents, and political battles in Texas and Arizona dominate headlines. But while Washington and the media argue over what’s happening in the south, something just as alarming has been developing in the north and it’s not getting the attention it deserves.
Recent reports show that the Swanton Border Sector, which covers Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire, has experienced more apprehensions in the last ten months than in the previous thirteen years combined. Let that sink in. Nearly 15,000 people were caught attempting to cross into the U.S. in this one sector alone a record-setting surge by any measure.
And it’s not just a regional problem. Encounters along the entire northern border topped 190,000 last year and are already over 162,000 in fiscal 2024. Migrants from 85 different countries have been caught attempting to enter illegally through Canada. Even more concerning, more than 1,100 known or suspected terrorists have been encountered at the northern border between 2021 and 2023 accounting for more than half of all such apprehensions nationwide.
So why isn’t this headline news? According to border experts, the answer is painfully simple: resources. The southern border gets the spotlight and therefore the money, manpower, and political urgency. Meanwhile, the northern border, which spans twice the distance of the southern one and includes difficult terrain like the Great Lakes, is left wide open in many areas.
Lora Ries of the Heritage Foundation points out that during the Biden administration, the crisis at the southern border has pulled agents and resources away from the north, leaving fewer boots on the ground in places that are already hard to patrol. That’s a recipe for trouble and smugglers and traffickers know it.
Critics argue that President Biden’s immigration policies have only added fuel to the fire. By offering incentives for migrants to cross and reviving controversial programs like the CHNV parole system, the administration has signaled that now is the time to try to get into the U.S. Unsurprisingly, people are listening. As Ries put it bluntly: “We’ve got an open border right now and the world knows they can get in.”
The White House, of course, paints a different picture. Officials point to recent actions meant to tighten enforcement and remind the public that Republicans blocked a bipartisan deal that included tougher border security measures. But for Americans who live in northern states suddenly seeing a surge of illegal crossings, those talking points won’t feel very reassuring.
The truth is this: the U.S. doesn’t just have a “southern border problem.” It has a border problem, period. And as long as Washington continues to treat the north as an afterthought, the numbers will keep climbing. Smugglers adapt, migrants adapt, and adversaries around the world are watching.
Border security isn’t supposed to be a partisan talking point. It’s a basic requirement of national sovereignty. Until our leaders treat the northern border with the seriousness it demands, Americans will remain vulnerable not just in Texas or Arizona, but in Vermont, New York, and beyond.
