Thirteen people have been arrested and later detained for trying to enter the United States illegally through the Akwesasne Native Reservation, local officials said Wednesday.
On Saturday, August 5, the Mohawk Police Service of Akwesasne received two calls from foreign nationals from the village of Cana:Dagon, also known as Saint-Regis, in the western part of the province of Quebec.
“Police found a family of four walking on the road in Ghana: Dagon, and a second family of nine in a private residence. The individuals have been handed over to the Canadian authorities and the investigation continues,” local police explained in a press release posted on social networks.
The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service wishes to remind the community that “immigrant trafficking is a crime and poses serious health and safety risks” to those involved and nearby residents.
We don’t know much about the reasons these people wanted to cross the border illegally or their situation during the events.
However, this is not the first related incident on the Canada-US border in Akwesasne, which has already had its share of misfortunes this year.
At the end of March, the bodies of eight migrants were found in the waters of the St. Lawrence River. Six adults and two children attempted to cross into the United States. Then, in early July, a 30-year-old man lost his life under similar circumstances. His body was recovered near Rose Island, Ontario.
Akwesasne is a Mohawk reserve whose territory is located in both Canada and the United States, Quebec, Ontario and New York state. It is precisely crossed by the St. Lawrence River.
The geography of the area makes it a favorite spot for traffickers, officials said during the last tragedies there.
