Local 4 Investigator Karen Drew was live with U.S. Border Patrol agents along the border on Thursday morning.
Because Michigan has a water border, it brings a new set of challenges in terms of tracking down who comes into the country.
To tell the story, Drew went live with agents on the water over a couple of hours as they do their job to protect the northern border. We saw first-hand what agents encounter on a boat patrol.
The mission on Thursday morning: To monitor the border, look for suspicious activity, and show some of the challenges agents face while protecting the northern border compared to other borders.
Where are people coming from?
A U.S. Border Patrol agent said they’re seeing people fly into Toronto, meet up with smugglers who drive them to the border. They cross the river on a boat -- and that journey can take less than two minutes. There’s a roadway a short distance away where they get into a car and get away.
Border Patrol agent Matt Vetter said agents are seeing small, fishing-type vessels or recreational vessels that fit five or six people. Traffic seems to be highest right after dawn and right before dusk.
How the US Customs and Border Protection came to be
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was created as part of the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Before CBP was created, security, compliance, and facilitation, of international travel and trade was monitored by multiple organizations. Those organizations were all consolidated when CBP was born.
The U.S. Customs Service was transferred to the CBP, as was the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and inspection function of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
An interactive timeline is available at CBP.gov.
A look at CBP data
The data shared below includes statistics from 2021 through 2024 in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Detroit Sector.
The area of responsibility for agents in the Detroit Sector includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
Their headquarters are located at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The Michigan stations are located in Detroit, Marysville, Sault Ste. Marie, Gibraltar. They also have a station in Port Clinton, Ohio.
Detroit Sector encounters
An interactive version of this chart is available at CBP. gov.
Detroit Sector weapons seizures
An interactive version of this chart is available at CBP.gov.
Detroit Sector ammunition and gun parts seizures
An interactive version of this chart is available at CBP.gov.
Detroit Sector drug seizure statistics
An interactive version of this chart is available at CBP.gov.
What to do if you see suspicious border activity
The Detroit Sector’s Border Watch is staffed 24/7 and the community is encouraged to call 1-800-537-3220 if they see suspicious border activity.
Suspicious activity to watch out for:
- Drivers pulling into a marina and exiting shortly after with more passengers than they came with.
- Boats dropping off passengers quickly and then speeding away.
- Vessels operating at night without lights on.
- Passengers carrying luggage.
Be prepared to tell Border Watch the following information:
- Who or what you saw.
- When you saw it.
- Where it occurred.
- Why its suspicious