Gov. Chris Sununu has proposed spending $1.4 million to increase security along New Hampshire’s northern border, citing concerns about an increase in illegal border crossings from Canada.
But as the Boston Globe’s Amanda Gokee reports, it’s not clear that New Hampshire is seeing a substantial jump in border crossings based on the available data. Gokee recently shared more context on the issue on NHPR’s Morning Edition. Below is a transcript of her conversation with NHPR Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley.
Transcript
Rick Ganley: How does Governor Sununu say this $1.4 million would help increase security at the border between New Hampshire and Canada?
Amanda Gokee: Sununu says that the situation at the border is a humanitarian crisis and that the state needs to act to address it. So his proposal would send state money to local, county and state police so that they could help patrol the border. It would make grants available to law enforcement that would cover things like overtime, equipment and training costs. It would focus on an area of about 25 miles from the border with the goal of reducing crimes and illicit activity there.
Sununu says that this effort is a response to an increase in illegal crossings. New Hampshire's northern border is relatively remote, and so Sununu is arguing that having more people on the ground would both help people that find themselves in life threatening situations, like getting lost in the cold or someone who requires medical attention, and also prevent drugs from coming into the country from Canada.
Rick Ganley: Can local law enforcement actually patrol the border? I mean, wouldn't border patrol be under federal jurisdiction?
Amanda Gokee: That's another thing that both Sununu and [New Hampshire] Commissioner of Safety Robert Quinn have been pushing the Biden Administration for. They want what's called a Section 287 agreement. Essentially, that would give the local and state police that authority. Essentially, Sununu has reached out saying, we want our state police to be able to help patrol, and they would be able to get some training from the federal agents in order to do that under that sort of an agreement.
Rick Ganley: But the governor needs the feds to sign off on that?
Amanda Gokee: That's correct.
Rick Ganley: Tell us more about the numbers. Sununu and others have said that there's been this "significant increase" in people crossing into New Hampshire illegally. What does the data really show?
Amanda Gokee: The main data point that we have here comes from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In February, it put out data reporting around an 846% increase in encounters and apprehensions. That's looking at a period from October of last year through the end of January this year. And it's just basically comparing that to the year prior.
What's important to know about this data is that it's coming from a pretty big chunk of the border. It's called the Swanton Sector, and that includes around 295 miles stretching all the way from New Hampshire, across Vermont and then clear across New York as well. For context, New Hampshire's portion of that border is around 58 miles.
The ACLU actually asked both the governor's office and the Department of Safety for data that those state agencies might have that's specific to New Hampshire — data that shows exactly how many people have come across New Hampshire's 58-mile segment of the border. And both of them responded that they didn't have any data that's specific to our state.
So the problem, as these sort of critics of this program are seeing it, is that this is based on an assumption of an increase, rather than the actual hard data that shows the specific number of people crossing New Hampshire's border.
Rick Ganley: Could the governor point to any stories of humanitarian issues across the border? Are there any stories of people being stuck in the woods coming over the border that we know of?
Amanda Gokee: Yeah, so he has pointed to a couple specific examples, but it's worth noting that those were in Vermont. So they're not necessarily New Hampshire specific stories — the ones that I've come across in my reporting, at least.
Rick Ganley: Many advocates for immigrant rights in New Hampshire are not supportive of the governor's proposal. And as you said, they pushed back. What else are you hearing from them?
Amanda Gokee: There's a couple of main concerns that they have with involving local and state police officers in efforts to patrol the border. Immigrants rights advocates say that this would undermine community trust in local police and that it would actually harm community safety. Basically, they're saying that immigrants would be less likely to contact the police if they've witnessed a crime, or been the victim of a crime, if they know that those same police officers might also be patrolling them and asking them questions about their immigration status.
I spoke with Sebastian Fuentes, and he works for a nonprofit called Rights and Democracy and also advocates for immigrant rights. Fuentes actually has some firsthand experience as an immigrant himself. He came to New Hampshire when he was 19 from his home of Lima, Peru. And he worked at the Mount Washington Resort under a student visa. He basically said this policy would harm North Country businesses, both by deterring international visitors who don't necessarily want to be hassled by local and state police, and also deterring international workers that those businesses really rely on — as we know with just how difficult it is to hire workers these days.
Rick Ganley: There are also critics who point to Sununu's national media tour and flirtation with a presidential run who are calling this rhetoric. As you said earlier, Amanda, the number of illegal crossings along the New Hampshire border is unclear. But there are those who would like to see local law enforcement involved in border patrol. What are they saying?
Amanda Gokee: Some people who live near the border believe that having additional resources for local policing would help their community. Douglas Ahlstrin is a selectman in Pittsburg, which is very close to the state's northern border in Canada. He said that while the town covers a really big area, they don't necessarily have a lot of resources at their disposal to govern the area. And he told me that North Country residents are concerned that as security on the southern border becomes tighter, more people might try crossing the northern border.
Rick Ganley: What happens next? What support does Governor Sununu need for his spending proposal to move forward?
Amanda Gokee: This proposal is a part of the state's budget, which means that Sununu would have to have the support of state lawmakers to help him pass this new program into law. The House will be voting on the budget this week, and it would then need the approval of the Senate before it can reach Sununu's desk. And both bodies do have ample opportunity to make changes to the budget before it's finalized.
