By Voice staff
Several people were arrested for attempting to cross the Canada-United States border near Emerson last month.
On Sept. 28, just after 10:30 p.m., officers from the RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region’s Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) in Manitoba, working with counterparts from the United States Border Patrol, became aware of a border incursion happening approximately seven kilometres east of Emerson near Road 18 East.
Officers from IBET and the Morris, Emerson, and St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP detachments arrived on the scene and found an SUV carrying numerous people as well as luggage.
The vehicle was pulled over and officers were able to determine that human smuggling was taking place.
Six people were arrested under the Customs Act. The driver was arrested for human smuggling.
Of the people arrested under the Customs Act, one male was from the Republic of Sudan, two males and one female were from the Republic of Chad, one male was from Mauritania, and one male was identified as a Permanent Resident of Canada. The subjects are all adults ranging in age from 30 to 53 years old.
A 42-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with human smuggling under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He was released from custody pending his first court appearance last week.
The six other people arrested were all handed over to the Canada Border Services Agency for processing.
“Crossing the Canada and United States border between the ports of entry is not only an illegal act, but a dangerous one,” said Sergeant Lance Goldau, head of IBET in Manitoba. “For everyone’s safety, we continue to work closely with our United States counterparts to stop incursions at the border.”
“One death is too many”
Last Thursday, Manitoba RCMP and U.S. Border Patrol hosted a border and migrant safety event in Emerson and in Pembina, North Dakota, to talk more about border safety and showcase some of the equipment used in preventing border incursions.
The RCMP in Manitoba is responsible for approximately 520 kilometres of shared border.
So far this year in Manitoba there have been 85 apprehensions of illegal northbound crossers, police share. The originating countries of those apprehended include the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Sudan, Guinea, Iraq, Mauritania, Congo, Yemen, Somalia, Saint Helena, Eretria, Cuba, Morocco, Mali, and Brazil.
Many of the illegal crossers come to Canada to make a refugee claim, police say, and there are an increasing number of smuggling organizations working to get migrants across the border without detection.
“These smugglers are not in the business because they care about the migrants,” stressed Goldau. “The smugglers are looking at the bottom line—getting as much money as they can with as little work as possible.”
Often, migrants are dropped at a location far from a Port of Entry into Canada and left to fend for themselves with vague directions to connect with someone waiting for them on the other side, creating major safety concerns.
“Some individuals who are illegally crossing the border between Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota are not aware of the extreme weather conditions and geography they may encounter,” noted Goldau. “This lack of understanding has led to severe injury and death. They have to realize, too, that in extreme weather, even with all of our equipment, chances of a rescue are remote.”
Both the RCMP and the Grand Forks Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol implore any would-be crossers to enter the country legally, in a way that does not involve risking one’s life.
“Grand Forks Sector, along with our partners at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are committed to educating the public about the dangers of crossing the border illegally; one death is too many,” said Chief Patrol Agent Scott Garrett of the U.S. Border Patrol.
