Illegal immigration to U.S. from Canada?

Question

I live in Buffalo, NY near the Canadian border. It was on our local news today (it was also on CNN, FOX, etc) that a man was trying to swim across the Niagara River to get into the United States (illegally) from Canada. The current started to pull him towards the power generating station, so the Canadian coast guard rescued him. Once he was back on shore (on the Canadian side) the CANADIAN police arrested him for attempting to cross the international border illegally.

It's really rare for a Canadian to illegally enter the U.S., but what I find surprising is that it was the Canadian police who arrested him. If the Canadian police can stop people illegally entering the U.S. why can't the Mexican police?

Answer 1

Illegal crossings from Canada are MUCH more frequent than people think. I've pulled watches on the NYS/Canadian border a few times (not the Buffalo area, more toward Messina and Lake Champlain areas) and the crossings are VERY common in those areas. Last time out the BP busted a group of 17 people from Pakistan

We have a Minuteman chapter in your area, reach out to them and they'll tell you just how frequent it is in your area.

Answer 2

I am Canadian, and I live in the US, and I just want to state for the record, that if there ends up being a problem with ILLEGAL immigration the way there is with Mexico then I would completely back up the government with building a fence, along the Canada/USA border, but since there isn't, we shouldn't. And that Canadian who tried to get in illegally should be in just as much trouble as the Mexicans and other cultures who come into the USA illegally.

Answer 3

For one thing, it might not be illegal in Mexico for a person to cross the border to leave Mexico. Police can't arrest someone for doing something that isn't illegal.

Answer 4

Actually, it has been proven through some studies which I can't recall now that Canada is the second country with the largest export of illegal immigrants. They just blend in so well with American culture that it's really hard to tell. They are white, and speak perfect English. And to answer your last question, Mexico is interested in people sending money home, there is no doubt about that. But Canada has nothing good to get from it, so they just do what the law says.

Answer 5

It has to do with the numbers. It is easy to ensnare 1 canadian. Try thousands of Mexicans.

They stop a lot, but there is no way ... if they stopped 90 % you would still have thousands coming up per year.

Answer 6

Maybe the Mexican police follows in their higher up's footsteps and like their higher ups who take bribes from the U.S. to let them have Mexico's resources and to keep Mexico' people poor, they take bribes from the cartels to get their product to good old American junkies. You have to attack this from both ends, the users and the suppliers. If the U.S. didn't have a love for drugs, there wouldn't be any.

Answer 7

I agree it is weird, he could have just walked across the bridge.Of course they didn't state his citizenship.
Canadians are tougher on illegals than Americans are, illegals are detained and deported.
Wonder what he was charged with?

Answer 8

Simple. Canada is a 1st class nation. Mexico is a 3rd class nation.

Answer 9

Mexican police are subject to apathy and "mordita" AKA the"little bite" or the BRIBE. It dates back to Spain...'tis said...

Answer 10

They are corrupt, and don't care. They'd rather go home and snort some coke than patrolling and getting shot at by the cartels.