North Dakota Senator addresses concerns over northern border crossing spike

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) - Nationwide there’s been a dramatic increase in illegal immigration along the northern border when compared to the past two years.

Across the entire northern border, illegal crossings from Canada into the U.S have increased from 16,000 to 42,000, according to a report from NBC News.

According to the Customs and Border Patrol website, there were more than 1,200 encounters along North Dakota’s border with Canada over the past four months.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, said those numbers are concerning.

He says more data is needed but it could be because of the lifting of some COVID restrictions.

He adds that legal migration could be beneficial to the economy.

”I personally believe that we need to work a lot harder on illegal immigration side as well as on people seeking asylum and providing a better opportunity for them to go to work rather than pay them not to work,” said Cramer.

Cramer said his goal is to increase funding for customs and border protections as well as the use of drone technology with sensors and cameras.

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