FORT ERIE, Ont. — A U.S. law enforcement agency says three Mexican migrants have been sent back to Canada after they attempted to cross into New York state on a rail bridge from Ontario.
U.S. Customs and Border Protections says the rail bridge connecting Buffalo, N.Y., and Fort Erie, Ont., represents one of the “treacherous and dangerous pathways used to illegally enter” the country.
It says the three migrant men were arrested after agents patrolling the Niagara River noticed what it called “suspicious activity” on the International Railroad Bridge on Wednesday night.
The agency says it has arrested 24 “non-citizens” in the last 60 days trying to cross in the Buffalo area.
The recent expansion of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country agreement last month to turn away asylum seekers who also cross at unofficial junctures, such as Roxham Road in Quebec, has been widely criticized by immigration advocates who say it will push migrants to undertake more dangerous trips.
A week later, two families of four died while trying to cross illegally into the United States through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles parts of Ontario, Quebec and New York state.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2023.
