After President Donald Trump cracked down on illegal immigrant crossings at the U.S. southern border with Mexico, Border Patrol agents in the North are facing a flurry of attempted crossings.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Houlton, Maine said on May 2 that in the previous 10 days, it had conducted targeted enforcement operations that netted 39 illegal immigrant captures, according to a news release.
Foreign nationals from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and China were arrested during the recent operations.
According to the immigration officials, the agency has already captured more illegal immigrants in Maine this year than it did in all of 2024.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s agents from the Houlton Sector arrest illegal immigrants in March 2025. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Houlton Sector)
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“The United States Border Patrol will continue ongoing operations to target criminal aliens for arrest, prosecution, and removal proceedings as appropriate.” Houlton Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Craig Shepley said in a statement. “All of these efforts are for the safety and security for the State of Maine and the U.S. as a whole.”
Immigrants are seen crossing the northern border. (Customs and Border Protection)
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Some of the arrestees have prior criminal records, including crimes like assault and battery on a family member, criminal possession of a weapon and theft, officials said.
One of the illegal immigrants was charged with illegal re-entry into the United States, a felony that carries up to two years in prison and possible enhancements if the suspect was previously removed after criminal convictions, according to the Department of Justice.
CBP warned of consequences for other illegal immigrants who might be considering crossing from the north.
Immigrants are seen crossing the northern border. (Customs and Border Protection)
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“The security and integrity of our nation’s borders is the primary objective of the United States Border Patrol, and the agency will utilize all means at its disposal to achieve this end,” the release said. “If you are found to be in the United States illegally or are operating within the framework of an illegal smuggling operation, you will be caught, and consequences will be delivered.”
Fox News Digital reached out to CBP officials.
