Canadian police and border officials said they intercepted a “human smuggling attempt” when they apprehended a man jumping off a moving train in the Niagara region while attempting an illegal border crossing.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP revealed the attempt – which occurred in December – was stopped as part of the newly-launched “Project Disrupt and Deter.”
The CBSA wrote in a statement released this morning that the project is “an intelligence initiative aimed at monitoring vulnerable areas along the International Railway Bridge in the Niagara region [that] focuses on gathering intelligence related to irregular migration and disrupting organized human smuggling operations.”
According to authorities, the man leapt from a freight train as it crossed into Canada at Fort Erie, Ont. and attempted to flee.
Two other individuals involved in the smuggling attempt were located nearby and taken into custody for questioning.
The CBSA said the jumper was subsequently arrested and sent back to the U.S. under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. No additional information was provided about the status of the two others believed to be involved in the smuggling attempt.
Michael Prosia, a Regional Director General for the CBSA said, “Through this joint CBSA and RCMP investigation, we stopped human smuggling between Niagara and Fort Erie. Together, our frontline border services officers and regional Intelligence and Enforcement Operations Division work with the RCMP to detect and remove individuals who pose threats to public safety and secure the border with the United States.”
The statement comes at a critical time, with Donald Trump threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods as early as Feb. 1 if Canada fails to improve border security.
