by WorldTribune Staff, March 4, 2024
Border Patrol agents in Maine reported they arrested three Chinese nationals attempting to illegally cross into the United States.
Agents from the Fort Fairfield Border Patrol Station reportedly observed what was described as “suspicious activity along the border” during the dark overnight hours and upon investigation spotted the individuals.
A driver from New York, who was identified as a Chinese citizen already in immigration proceedings, was also arrested and accused of “attempting to further the illegal entry,” Border Patrol said.
In the past year, the Houlton sector has seen a dramatic rise in illegal crossings along Maine’s 611-mile remote northern border.
In a six-week period from October to mid-November, Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Houlton sector had 53 encounters that resulted in 27 people who will be federally prosecuted, a 178 percent increase over last year for the same time period, according to CBP data.
The Houlton Sector’s service area spans the entire state of Maine and comprises stations in Calais, Fort Fairfield, Houlton, Jackman, Rangeley, and Van Buren, according to its website.
Chinese organized crime has reportedly set up several illegal marijuana growing facilities in Maine.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by The Daily Caller stated that more than 270 unlicensed cannabis cultivation sites in Maine were operated by Chinese nationals.
Last month, 50 members of Congress requested that the Department of Justice share information on illegal marijuana cultivation linked to Chinese nationals across the country.
In a letter to the DOJ, the Congress members asked what resources the DOJ is putting toward investigating the Chinese Communist Party’s involvement in unlicensed marijuana farms, how many farms the agency is aware of, how state legalization has impacted the spread of such operations, and if any revenue from CCP-funded farms is sent back to China.
NEW: Border Patrol in Maine report agents arrested three Chinese nationals who were trying to use cover of darkness to illegally sneak into the U.S. via the northern border w/ Canada near Fort Fairfield. A Chinese national from NY who is already in immigration proceedings was… pic.twitter.com/ho9dwY9bE7
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 29, 2024
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