The RCMP disrupted two unauthorized border crossings in Alberta this week, resulting in the detention of nine people and the death of another who attempted to evade law enforcement.
An American national attempted to cross into Canada from the United States at the Coutts border crossing in Alberta on Feb. 4, RCMP assistant commissioner Lisa Moreland said during a press conference the following day.
The man was asked to pull his vehicle over to secondary inspection at the border crossing when he arrived at 7:45 a.m., but instead he fled the scene, driving north into Canada, Moreland said.
Border officers notified the RCMP and officers chased the man through the Alberta communities of Lethbridge and Raymond, before a spike belt was used to deflate the tires of the vehicle he was driving some 20 kilometres from the border, she said.
The man was then pursued by RCMP police dog services and other RCMP officers, Moreland told reporters during the Feb. 5 press conference.
“During the pursuit, the male sustained a self-inflicted firearm-related injury and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” she said.
The incident is currently under investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
Just 24 hours earlier, four adults and five children of Colombian and Venezuelan descent were apprehended after they attempted to walk across the border into Alberta near Coutts, Moreland said.
All nine individuals were arrested under the Customs Act and were handed over to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for processing.
CBSA assistant director of intelligence and enforcement Greg Valentine, who also appeared at the press conference, declined to release details on whether the nine have been deported, are seeking asylum, or are facing criminal charges.
Illegal Crossings in Manitoba
The latest incidents come after the detention of six individuals last month who attempted to cross the border into Canada illegally near Emerson, Man.An RCMP plane spotted the group of six people walking across the border on Jan. 14, Moreland said. The six people originally hailed from Jordan, Sudan, Chad, and Mauritania. They were arrested and transferred into CBSA custody.
The migrants were not dressed suitably for the harsh cold of Canadian winters in either of the recent on foot border crossings, Moreland said.
“They did not have hats, gloves, mitts, or anything that we would normally see in a Canadian winter,” she said. “I will note in both all the incidents that I described today, both in Manitoba and Alberta, the weather was incredibly cold and ranging from -20 to -30 C without factoring in the wind chill.”
Drugs were not a factor in any of the three recent incidents, she added.
Moreland said the recent cases demonstrate the RCMP and CBSA’s efforts to address border-related challenges.
“We have the partnerships, the technology and the resources in place to respond to the border and stop illegal activity,” she said. “By working closely with CBSA, as well as our provincial and U.S. law enforcement partners, we can detect and arrest those who attempt to cross the border that we share.”
Her comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to implement 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods in an attempt to force Ottawa to beef up border security to address migrant crossings and fentanyl trafficking across the countries’ shared border.
Trump agreed to suspend the tariffs for 30 days after a call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in which Trudeau pledged to broaden his government’s $1.3 billion border security program.
As part of that pledge, Ottawa will appoint a “fentanyl czar,” spend an additional $200 million to fight drug trafficking, launch a new cross-border task force, and list cartels as terrorist organizations.
Moreland issued a warning to those contemplating illegal entry into Canada.
“We have seen firsthand heartbreaking situations where lives of adults and children have been lost in the attempt to cross the border,” she said. “To anyone who is thinking of crossing the border, don’t. You’re putting your life at risk, and you should not attempt [it] under any circumstances.”
