Six individuals were arrested while attempting to cross the Manitoba-U.S. border amidst concerns regarding a renewed crackdown on illegal immigrants under President Donald Trump.
RCMP said the group was found on January 14 near Emerson, where officers and an aircraft equipped with thermal imaging had been monitoring the border.
The six individuals travelled in freezing conditions as they attempted to cross into Canada from the U.S., with temperatures below –20C without the wind chill.
“The people who were arrested at the location were not equipped to deal with the weather conditions that night,” said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, referring to the group’s lack of gloves or other winter gear.
“No gloves, no mittens, no nothing.”
“They were from multiple countries of origin,” said Moreland.
Canada recently boosted border security by $1.3 billion after Trump, who was president-elect at the time, blamed Canada for contributing to illegal immigration and drug smuggling into the U.S.
Trump also threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
In response, Canada deployed new surveillance, including Black Hawk helicopters, drones, and additional ground patrols, including dogs.
On Sunday, a Black Hawk helicopter took its first flight, scanning roughly 450 kilometres of Manitoba’s border.
Moreland, who was working in Manitoba during the 2017 surge of illegal immigrants, said the RCMP and conservation officers are ready to address any spike in illegal crossings.
With Trump back in power, Moreland pointed out the heightened fears about another wave of illegal immigrants fleeing possible deportation in the U.S. and trying to enter Canada.
Concern has deepened following tragic incidents like the 2022 deaths of a family from India.
They froze to death while attempting to cross from Manitoba into North Dakota in dangerous mid-January conditions when the temperature plunged to –35C.
The Indian family, including two children, had been trying to enter the U.S. with a group of other illegal Indian immigrants.
Investigators determined that they had paid human traffickers who dropped them near the border during a blizzard.
The RCMP hopes that last week’s arrests serve as a reminder of the dangers of attempting to cross the border illegally in extreme winter weather.
