Concerns over people attempting to cross Detroit River illegally

Illegal border swimmers Are more people trying to cross the Detroit River illegally after the U.S. election? CTV Windsor’s Chris Campbell looks into it.

Windsor Port Authority’s harbour master is raising concern about the number of people attempting to cross the Detroit River illegally following the most recent U.S. presidential election.

Peter Berry said over the last month there have been four instances of people trying to swim across the water, stating it's a significant safety issue.

"We are starting to see a significant increase in migrants attempting to swim, either to Canada or from Canada to the United States," Berry said. "It's desperate times. So I think over the coming months, what we're going to see with the change of government in the United States and the threat of mass deportation, whether that happens or not, is just the fear of that will drive people to the border much like we saw in the first term of this President (at) Roxham Road in Quebec. We're bound to see that increase, and all the intel tells us it's coming."

While Berry said there's no data at this point to confirm the reasons for his concern, he explained officials on both sides of the border met this week to discuss communication plans should another situation in the water surface.

"We met this week with Canadian and U.S. authorities to discuss the communication plan with it to ensure that the information that we're providing is accurate and timely, especially to the media, to provide access. The public will want to know when they see a lot of flashing lights and a lot of boats on the on the river.

"We work well together, but we can do a better job in communication and that's what we're looking to improve on," Berry said."We don't want people to enter the river at the risk of drowning or freezing. We want them to follow the legitimate means that are there."

In a statement to CTV News, Jacqueline Roby, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said the CBSA is Canada’s first line of defence at 1,200 ports of entry across the country, noting the CBSA is responsible for enforcing the law at designated ports of entry in Canada and the RCMP is responsible for enforcing Canadian legislation between ports of entry.

Roby said, "It is illegal to enter between ports of entry and it is not safe."

Windsor West M.P. Brian Masse, who also serves as Critic for Canada/US Border Relations said the CBSA needs more supports and resources to address the concern, suggesting upwards of 3,000 more officers need to be hired.

"If we don't do that, we're going to get other consequences on trade in even mythological statements that will come forward about the border not being safe and so forth. So this is pretty serious, and I really think we need to act now before the administration takes the helm," Masse said. "It is a different feel this time around. There is more of an organization element to the Trump administration than we've ever seen before. It's no longer going to take a matter of months to get something off the mark with regards to policy and border. It will be days when he takes administrations helm."

He continued, "We need better training in Windsor and places where we actually have facilities that could bring more officers online. And we need to change the way that we're training officers so that when they actually enroll the CBSA, they can actually work in the area that they actually come from."

Windsor-Tecumseh M.P. Irek Kusmierczyk said he's been in discussions with Windsor's Port Authority along with the federal transportation minister and public safety minister regarding the illegal border crossings.

He said the government will be listening very closely to Canada's security agencies on whether there needs to be a change in posture at the border.

"We're always going to be listening to our security and our border agencies," Kusmierczyk said.

"Canada and the US have the longest undefended non-militarized border in the world and it is in our mutual interest, to secure that border. and I could tell you that our government is very much alive to the situation."

He added, "This is definitely something that is a priority and something that our government is very much focused on."

Mean time, in an email to CTV News, Marie-Eve Breton, an RCMP spokesperson, said the RCMP currently has no evidence or intelligence to suggest that an increase of asylum seekers crossing the border from the U.S. to Canada has occurred.

"The RCMP’s posture at the Canada-U.S. border remains unchanged at this time," the email stated.

"While a change to U.S. border policy could result in an increase in migrants traveling north toward the Canada-U.S. border and between ports of entry, the RCMP now has valuable tools and insights to address this movement that were not previously in place. New mechanisms have been established which enable the RCMP to effectively manage apprehensions of irregular migrants between the ports (i.e. STCA Additional Protocol).

"The RCMP has worked through various scenarios in the event of a sudden increase in irregular migration between official ports of entry at the Canada-U.S. border, and has refreshed its contingency plans. Any response to a sudden increase in irregular migration will be coordinated in conjunction with our various partners whose mandates relate to border security and immigration. The RCMP is in regular communication with domestic partners involved in this space, including the CBSA and Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada."

Brenton told CTV News, "It is illegal and unsafe to cross the Canadian border without reporting at a port of entry. It is an offence under the Customs Act. Any person committing this offence will be arrested by law enforcement. As of March 24, 2023, the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) applies to the entire land border, including waterways along it. The RCMP encourages asylum seekers to present themselves at designated ports of entry. This process is safer, faster and according to the law."

Brenton added, "RCMP frontline officers have seen first-hand heart-breaking situations and are very concerned for the wellbeing of those crossing the border in dangerous ways to avoid detection. People are putting their lives and the lives of their children at risk. The Canada-U.S. border is vast with mixed terrains, making it difficult to trek and dangerous in all seasons. The RCMP encourages both northbound and southbound migrants to present themselves directly to a designated port of entry.

Peter Berry said for people to call police should they see any suspicious activity taking place in the water.

"It does have an impact on the port. It does have an impact on commerce and the safe movement of goods. So that's my focus, is the safe recovery of the person enters into the water. Better yet, to discourage them from ever going there."

He added, "We have to understand that these migrants are people and that they deserve to be saved out of the river if they are looking for a better life. We have to find a way to make it safer."