Canada-U.S. border agents try to stem flow of migrants in face of unforgiving weather, vast distances
CBC
A bleak panorama of frozen, windblown prairie extends in every direction behind Katy Siemer as she points north, past a barren stand of trees to a pipeline compressor station a few hundred metres away in Manitoba.
The U.S. Border Patrol agent is standing alongside a similar facility in Minnesota that she says undocumented migrants use as a meeting spot when sneaking over from Canada, usually under cover of darkness.
At the moment, it's a blindingly bright, sunny day, beautiful in every respect but the –29 C temperature.
"Oh, this is very mild," says Siemer, the deputy patrol agent in charge of the station in nearby Pembina, N.D., nary a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
"It's about –20 degrees (Fahrenheit) right now, but the wind isn't blowing, so it doesn't feel that bad."
In other words, Siemer has seen worse. Like last week, when RCMP in Canada recovered the frozen bodies of a family from India. Investigators believe they were part of a larger group of undocumented Indian nationals attempting to walk across the border from Canada to the United States whom agents encountered on the U.S. side shortly before the bodies were discovered.
Authorities say the family, which included a teen and a young child, likely became disoriented as bitter winds created blinding, blizzard-like conditions before they fell victim to the fearsome cold.
That same night, just up the gravel road, agents pulled over a rented passenger van and found two more Indian nationals inside, along with a stockpile of provisions that included bottled water, juice boxes and snacks.
Steve Shand, 47, of Deltona, Fla., now faces human-smuggling charges. A Minnesota judge agreed Monday to release Shand on an appearance bond, subject to release conditions.
The tragedy captured the imaginations of Canadians and U.S. citizens alike and underscored the challenge border guards like Siemer and colleague David Marcus confront every day as they patrol the vast, unforgiving hinterland.
"There's nothing really here for anyone to take shelter in," said Siemer.
"It's difficult as Border Patrol also because there's just nothing. There's no infrastructure, we don't have cameras — there's no way to be out here other than just to drive out here and see what you can see."
That makes the local residents of the small towns in the area — Walhalla, N.D. (population 1,064), Pembina (population 485), Saint Vincent, Minn. (population 64) — a vital component of the agency's strategy.
"Our agents are incredibly vigilant and do a phenomenal job," Marcus says.
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