The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) flew illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. from the Canadian border to the southern border, according to a new report.
The World Atlantic Airlines flights were contracted by the federal government to transport the migrants to the southern border under the Title 42 policy, according to reporting by The Daily Caller.
The flights, reportedly costing between $150,000 to $200,000 each, departed from Plattsburgh, New York, to El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. The passengers included Mexican nationals entering the U.S. illegally from Canada after flying from Mexico.
The report comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered a spike in migrants at the northern border. Over 68,000 migrants crossed the northern border between October 2022 and February 2023. Approximately another 109,000 migrants crossed the northern border in the fiscal year 2022.
The Swanton Sector recorded a record number of 367 apprehensions and encounters for January, and another 418 in February. The growing cases were also a health concern over the low temperatures that threatened the lives of those who were left outside.
READ MORE: Pics: 743% spike in illegal immigration at US-Canada border sector
“As we progress deeper into winter and continue to address the ongoing pace of illicit cross-border traffic, the level of concern for the lives and welfare of our Border Patrol Agents and those we are encountering – particularly vulnerable populations – continues to climb,” said Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia. “It cannot be stressed enough: not only is it unlawful to circumvent legal means of entry into the United States, but it is extremely dangerous, particularly in adverse weather conditions, which our Swanton Sector has in incredible abundance,” he added.
The statistics show a growing concern that the nation’s northern and southern borders are dealing with high levels of illegal migrant crossings.
“While the southern border garners most of the attention, both of America’s borders are wide open because of the failed policies of the Biden administration,” Robert Law, director of the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration with the America First Policy Institute, told The Daily Signal last month over the growing numbers.
“This administration is setting all the wrong records and exposing American communities to potential national security threats because of its refusal to defend the homeland,” he added.
Title 42, a Trump-era COVID-19 policy that allows Border Patrol to turn away migrants at the border due to health concerns, is scheduled to end on May 11 under the Biden administration.
