Authorities in the United States say a Nigerian national, Victor
Omoruyi, husband of Michelle Omoruyi and two Canadian citizens have been
apprehended as part of an investigation into human smuggling. See
previous post here
Officials
with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said yesterday, in a
statement, their own agents apprehended the two Canadian citizens and Mr
Omoruyi on the North Dakota side of the border between North
Portal and Northgate. According to The National Post, Mr Omoruyi was
being held Thursday at the
Grand Forks County Correctional Center.
On Wednesday, April 20, authorities announced that Michelle Omoruyi, 43, of
Regina, was facing rare human smuggling charges after she was stopped by
RCMP last Friday evening driving a vehicle near the border with nine
foreign nationals from West Africa.
So far, authorities have released few details about how these
individuals fell under suspicion and whether other arrests could follow.
But a senior U.S. border official said Thursday the growing numbers of
migrants seeking to jump the border has everyone on high alert.
“It’s on everybody’s radar,” said Alan Zeitvogel, acting division
chief of operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Grand
Forks, N.D.
The nine individuals had bypassed formal channels to come into the
country, entering instead somewhere between the North Portal and
Northgate crossings, the legal entry points into Saskatchewan from North
Dakota. They subsequently filed refugee claims and were released from
CBSA custody pending the outcome of their refugee hearings.
The following day, police searched a Regina residence and found a
significant amount of cash — some in foreign currency, RCMP said.
During a four-month investigation, the Canada Border Services Agency
“uncovered evidence to suggest suspected smugglers were allegedly
bringing foreign nationals into Canada from the United States by
facilitating their illegal crossing between designated ports of entry,”
Jason Evert, a CBSA assistant director, told reporters Wednesday.
The identities of the other two — a man and a woman — could not be
verified, but Zeitvogel confirmed all three were still in custody and
charges were pending.
It is not known how many other people may be connected to the
suspected smuggling operation. The charges against Omoruyi have not been
proven in court.
There are many reasons why migrants might pay a smuggler to help them
get across the border, Zeitvogel said. Maybe it’s because of their
knowledge of the area or because they can provide a means of
transportation, he said.
In January, five Nigerians including three children were believed
to be headed for Saskatchewan but became stranded in a North Dakota
field near Portal in the bitter cold. Burke County Sheriff Jeremy Grohs
said they were suffering from frostbite and the onset of hypothermia.
The youngest, about 15 months old, was flown to the hospital.
According to federal data, Saskatchewan saw only a handful of
irregular border crossings from asylum seekers in the first three months
of this year. Nationwide, the number of irregular crossings climbed
from 315 in January, to 658 in February, to 887 in March.
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