Border agents not distracted by wall debate

Local officials said when it comes to concerns over border security, law enforcement should not fixate on just one border, but view security as a complete North American issue.

With that said, local special agents said the Blue Water Bridge faces more trans-national crime such as trafficking and smuggling than it does terror threats.

“I think when you look at the border, we are looking at it from a North American perimeter of security,” said Matthew Stentz, Homeland Security Investigations deputy special agent.

Following President Donald Trump’s election, a focus has been placed on the Mexico-U.S. border, and the northern border with Canada is making few headlines.

Data obtained by The Daily Beast, once a joint operation with Newsweek, showed that in August 2016, state and federal law enforcement officials in Michigan had 50 encounters with people on terrorist watch lists. Twenty-six involved land border crossings. The Times Herald attempted to confirm the data with the Detroit Federal Bureau of Investigations office, but calls and emails were not returned.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S.-Canada border is the longest shared border in the world at 5,525 miles. Every day, about 350,000 people cross the northern border.

However, Stentz said the local community does not have anything to fear in regard to the U.S.-Canadian border.

Stentz said one of the last public terror threats that cross the Canadian border was in 1999 when individuals crossed the border into Washington State with plans to carry out a terror act at the Los Angeles International Airport.

Stentz said handling cross-border threats was why the recent Border Enforcement Security Task Force was formed in the Port Huron area.

The task force is targeting the illegal smuggling of humans, drugs, money and weapons to and from Canada. He said the Blue Water Bridge port of entry is a prime location for smuggling because it links two major interstates with Toronto.

Stentz said the formation of the task force was not a response to an increased threat, but to better align the various levels of law enforcement.

“We are looking at the strategic importance of Port Huron destinations and beginning points,” he said. “We are looking for all types of crime. The point is to collaborate and share information.”

Following the formation of BEST in mid-October, the task force has made numerous arrests, including at least two incidents on the Blue Water Bridge. One involved a man in possession of fake checks and the other involved three men illegally transporting marijuana.

Stentz said the crime happening at the border follows those themes more than it involves terror threats.

Kristoffer Grogan, Customs and Border Protection public affairs officer, said his office has been conducting business as usual, with no heightened focus on terror.

“Our main mission is to stop terrorist weapons from entering into the country,” he said. “It’s interesting to see the (Daily Beast) report, because there isn’t an increase in terror that I am aware of.”

Grogan referred further questions to the FBI, which did not return inquiries for comment.

Contact Nicole Hayden at (810) 989-6279 or nhayden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @nicoleandpig.