House Republicans form Northern Border Security Caucus to advocate greater scrutiny of U.S.-Canadian border

While much attention is paid to the surge of crossings and smuggling at the United States-Mexico border, a coalition of 28 Republicans formed the Northern Border Security Caucus this week to advocate for greater safety at the U.S.-Canada border as well.

While the U.S.-Canada border is the longest international border, it has historically been largely tame. However, Republicans became alarmed in recent years by a surge in illegal migrant crossings and drug trafficking there. All House Republicans and Democrats were invited to join the new caucus as a result, with support from House Republican Leadership and the National Border Patrol Council, but all Democrats declined, along with most Republicans.

“The numbers don’t lie: the Biden administration’s open-border policies have allowed for a surge in human and drug trafficking across the U.S.-Canadian border, the longest international border in the entire world,” U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) said. Kelly, along with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), were chosen as co-chairs of the Northern Border Security Caucus. “Over the last two years, every state has become a border state. I’ve spoken with Border Patrol officials in my home state of Pennsylvania who tell me they are pulling double duty – they are digitally processing migrants who are apprehended at the Southern border while now also trying to defend the Northern border. Migrants and smugglers are seeking alternative routes into the United States, and the Northern border is increasingly their first stop. Our goal is to provide commonsense, practical solutions that will increase security across all of America’s borders.”

For their first act, Kelly and his colleagues wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to warn of surging human and drug trafficking from Canada to the United States. They simultaneously demanded that he secure the border.

For reference, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 109,535 encounters at the northern border last year, up from 27,180 in 2021. Regarding drug smuggling, the agency reported a 596 percent increase in drug seizures by weight between fiscal year 2021 and 2022. Approximately 2,019 agents patrol the 138 ports and 5,525 miles of the U.S.-Canada border.

By comparison, though, CBP reported more than 2.3 million encounters along the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, up from 1.7 million in 2021.

“The first thing bad guys do is go where the good guys aren’t,” Zinke said. “Right now, all our good guys are dealing with Biden’s crisis on the Southwest border, leaving the north unprotected and vulnerable to criminals, cartels, and terrorists. “By establishing the caucus, we will provide critical oversight and expose the truth to the American people about the nationwide crisis this administration has willingly caused.”