U.S. Customs and Border Protection is saying little about an operation earlier this year that used helicopters and a fixed-wing airplane to round up 124 people in the vicinity of the Canada-U.S. border.
That害羞草研究所檚 despite the fact it publicized the sweep, dubbed 害羞草研究所淥peration Jagdakommando,害羞草研究所� in a July 20 news release that described it as a response to 害羞草研究所渦nprecedented illicit cross-border activity害羞草研究所� in the Northern U.S.
The release said personnel from CBP害羞草研究所檚 air and marine units in Detroit and Washington state also took part in the multi-jurisdictional 害羞草研究所渟urge operation,害羞草研究所� which was led by the U.S. Border Patrol.
害羞草研究所淒uring the operation, Plattsburgh Air Unit crews contributed to the apprehension of 124 individuals between April 4 and May 13, 2023,害羞草研究所� the release says.
害羞草研究所淎ircrews contributed to the apprehension of 212 individuals (from October 2022 through June), marking a significant increase in migrant apprehensions.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淛agdakommando害羞草研究所� translates roughly as 害羞草研究所渉unter command害羞草研究所� or 害羞草研究所渕anhunt command.害羞草研究所� A similar word 害羞草研究所� jagdkommando 害羞草研究所� is the name of a special forces unit operated by the Austrian military.
But the agency has refused to elaborate on the operation, its name or any of the 124 people who were apprehended. It will also not say why, such as specify whether they were engaged in drug or weapons trafficking or merely lacked legal status in the U.S.
害羞草研究所淎ll of the information that we have to provide regarding that operation is in the news release,害羞草研究所� a CBP spokesperson said in an email nearly three weeks after The Canadian Press first made inquiries.
The operation was launched just 11 days after U.S. President Joe Biden visited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa, a meeting that produced a more fortified version of the agreement that governs bilateral asylum claims.
The amendment to the bilateral deal known as the Safe Third Country Agreement extended it along the full length of the land border, closing off popular routes for migrants hoping to claim refugee status in Canada.
But without more clarity, it害羞草研究所檚 impossible to know exactly why the 124 people were apprehended, said Sharry Aiken, a law professor at Queen害羞草研究所檚 University in Kingston, Ont., who specializes in immigration issues.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 really problematic to lump in potential asylum seekers within this operation and effectively stigmatize these individuals with a label that suggests they害羞草研究所檙e illegal and illicit, when in fact, they害羞草研究所檙e not,害羞草研究所� Aiken said.
Safe Third Country agreements are little more than bilateral procedures between two countries that force would-be claimants to seek asylum in the first safe country where they arrive, she added.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not a procedure that renders anybody who害羞草研究所檚 making a refugee claim somehow a lawbreaker. They害羞草研究所檙e not. They have the right to make an asylum claim.害羞草研究所�
Migrant rights groups have been complaining for years about the steady erosion of asylum opportunities in the U.S. as the country grapples with the persistent flow of undocumented arrivals at its border with Mexico.
At the same time, it is now standard operating procedure for Republicans on Capitol Hill to assail Democrat immigration policy 害羞草研究所� particularly after four turbulent years of Donald Trump, and his 害羞草研究所渂uild the wall害羞草研究所� rhetoric, as president.
Indeed, some congressional Republicans went so far as to form a 害羞草研究所淣orthern Border Security Caucus害羞草研究所� earlier this year, seizing on fears that Canada was becoming a popular route for people trying to enter the U.S. illegally.
Caucus co-chair Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and House GOP Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) cheered the operation in a statement.
害羞草研究所淏iden害羞草研究所檚 border crisis has devastated communities across the nation and turned every town into a border town,害羞草研究所� the statement said.
害羞草研究所淲e rely on the expertise of our CBP and (Air and Marine Operations) agents to keep us safe every day and successfully and fearlessly execute on their vital role in protecting our national security.害羞草研究所�
The release notes that the Plattsburgh Air Unit is often involved in 害羞草研究所渂order security operations害羞草研究所� along the Canada-U.S. border, as well as federal, state and local investigations and search-and-rescue missions.
In the 12 months of fiscal 2022, Air and Marine Operations resulted in 967 arrests and 134,981 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, it continues, along with copious amounts of drugs, weapons and cash.
Precisely where those seizures occurred is not made clear.
害羞草研究所淭he story here is really the U.S. government害羞草研究所檚 clearly intentional conflation of illegal migration with drug trafficking and the weapons trade,害羞草研究所� Aiken said.
害羞草研究所淲hat we can really criticize is the fact that the government has released this bulletin in the manner in which it has done, which clearly and intentionally obfuscates the details in relation to the apprehensions.害羞草研究所�
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