PEMBINA, N.D. (KFGO/KVRR) – Officials on both sides of the U.S. – Canada border say it is very secure, but they’re being proactive to keep it that way.
Two new black hawk helicopters acquired by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police went into service Jan. 17.
In a news release, the RCMP said that “they are being used to patrol, detect, and respond to both north and southbound threats at the Canada-U.S. border, ultimately preventing illegal crossings of people, goods and drugs.”
U.S. Attorney for North Dakota Mac Schneider said he’s heartened to see the Canadians allocating extra funding for border security.
“We take border security very seriously here at the U.S. attorney’s office, and so do our partners, both federal and local,” Schneider said.
Steve Wolski, Director of Canada Border Services, is also excited by the move.
“I think we are just now taking the opportunity to work together better and closer as one team,” Wolski said.
As you would imagine, the United States’ border with Mexico gets much of the media’s and public’s attention, and for good reason.
Illegal border crossings at the U.S. – Mexican border numbered over two million in 2024, while the northern border saw just under 200,000.
Still, those crossings dropped down south from 2023 to 2024, while rising slightly in the north over that same time frame.
Schneider said they want to make sure that isn’t a trend that continues.
Meanwhile, fentanyl remains a catastrophic issue in the United States, but the issue isn’t coming from the north.
Federal statistics show U.S. border authorities seized 21,889 pounds of fentanyl in the 2024 fiscal year. Of that amount, 43 pounds were seized at the Canadian border. That’s about 0.2%.
Wolski said he’s confident the border has been given the resources to ensure the problem does not grow in any appreciable capacity.
“We have the officers, we have the technology, we have the training, we do have the ability to respond to whatever the situation is,” Wolski said.
Schneider agrees, saying agencies from the U.S. and Canada have good communication, and he plans to ensure anyone caught conducting illegal activity faces the fullest punishment.
“If life is put in jeopardy, that could result in up to 20 years in prison, and if death does in fact result, that could lead to life in prison,” Schneider said.
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