Border officials apprehended 20 Romanian nationals who were trying to cross illegally from Canada into Maine early Tuesday morning.
According to information provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents in Maine observed four vehicles crossing the international border in Hodgdon, an eastern Aroostook County town near New Brunswick, just after 6 a.m.
The vehicles were stopped and the individuals – 10 adults and 10 children – were taken to a border patrol station in Fort Fairfield. All were identified as Romanian nationals.
“This incident is indicative of an overall rise in apprehensions witnessed here in Houlton Sector,” Acting Patrol Agent in Charge Dennis Harmon said in a statement. “In the last three Octobers, Houlton Sector encountered a total of 33 individuals. In fiscal year 2024 alone, we’ve encountered 55. While this increase poses challenges to Border Patrol resources, it does not dissuade the great work done by our dedicated Agents here in Houlton Sector.”
Of the 20 who were apprehended Tuesday, two had ties to international organized crime and were detained and expected to be deported, according to border officials. It wasn’t immediately clear what will happen to the others.
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