Voters in Massachusetts were largely shielded for decades from the worst effects of uncontrolled immigration at the US-Mexico border, which is more than 2,000 miles distant. However, as illegal immigration at the southern border declines as a result of President Trump’s new security measures, an additional, often-ignored issue that might have a direct effect on towns in New England is the rise in illegal immigration at the northern border of the United States.
About 10,000 illegal migrants tried to cross the southern border into the United States in May, a 91% drop from the previous year. The Border Patrol occasionally detained more than 10,000 migrants in a single day under the Biden administration. However, while illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border are declining, those at the northern border have been increasing and may increase even more if migrants’ alternatives to get south become more limited.
The largest land border in the world, that between the United States and Canada, is isolated and, in many places, undefended. Many of Canada’s major airports, like Montreal Trudeau Airport, are only a short drive from the border. Parts of New York and all of Vermont and New Hampshire are included in the massive 24,000-square-mile Swanton Sector. In the sector, US border officials arrested 19,000 illegal migrants last year. While this number may not seem like much in comparison to the illegal crossings across the southern border during the Biden years, it is three times higher than the previous year and surpasses the 17 years prior. In addition to carrying guns, many of these migrants enter the US with drugs like fentanyl.
People flew to Canada to enter the US illegally last year alone, representing 85 different countries. At least 358 of those crossers were suspected or confirmed terrorists.
Human traffickers recognize the opportunity to make a significant profit when they observe the demand at the northern border. In Canada, Coyotes openly advertises their services on TikTok. The majority of these traffickers offer a journey from a Montreal or Toronto airport to a rural area of the border for about $5,000. The journey consists of a relatively short walk in the woods after an easy two or three-hour automobile ride. More and more prospective migrants are realizing that it is simpler to travel to the US by air rather than by crossing the southern border. The notoriously dangerous Rio Grande River, intense heat, and lengthy walking distances await those traveling from the south.
As migrants gain traction, many of them will settle in Massachusetts and Boston, which has declared itself a sanctuary city. The effects of illegal immigration are already felt by Bay Staters, and more northern movement would only make matters worse. The Biden-Harris immigration crisis cost Massachusetts over $1 billion last year. At least half a million illegal immigrants entered the state under the Biden Administration. Tens of millions of tax dollars from hardworking local families were used to provide food and accommodation for migrants, who were unable to pay for groceries or rent.
Illegal immigrants have put a pressure on hospitals. School districts said they were caught off guard by the surge of new pupils last year.
Then there is criminal activity. A Salvadoran illegal immigrant who was convicted of child rape and lived adjacent to a children’s playground was recently detained by immigration officials. He had already been deported in 2017, but the Biden Administration allowed him to return. That same week, several illegal immigrants were arrested in Boston, including a Dominican national facing local charges for distributing fentanyl, a Colombian accused of sexually assaulting a child, and a Salvadoran on El Salvador’s most wanted list for homicide and kidnapping.
If there is a surge in migration across the US-Canada border, the problems in Massachusetts brought on by unregulated illegal immigration could get much worse.
Voters in Massachusetts have mostly considered immigration to be a theoretical issue until lately. Because their communities were the ones most affected, voters in Texas, Arizona, and California—the states that take in the most migrants—have been protesting the open border the loudest. However, Massachusetts and other New England states may now be in the epicenter of a new, illegal immigration wave.
To yet, Massachusetts officials have reaffirmed their left-wing stances while mostly ignoring the problem. Governor Maura Healey declared the state will not work with federal officials to enforce immigration law a few days after President Trump was elected. Although she has since attempted to change her mind, her initial declaration made her opinions obvious. Additionally, Boston police would not support the federal government’s deportation attempts under the Trump Administration, according to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Wu keeps reiterating Boston’s sanctuary city status with pride. Massachusetts is becoming a popular location for new illegal immigrants because of Healey, Wu, and others like them.
Due in large part to immigration, which Massachusetts voters stated was the most important issue to them, Trump came 7% closer to winning the state last year than he did in 2020. Don’t be shocked if more people vote for Republicans, even in deep blue Massachusetts, as illegal immigrants begin to flood into New England from the US-Canada border.
Kristin Tate is a Massachusetts-based author and political columnist. The Liberal Invasion of Red State America is her most recent book. She may be followed on X @KristinBTate.
