Behind the surge in migrants crossing at America’s northern border

During Joe Biden’s presidency US Customs and Border Protection has recorded a record number of encounters with migrants at America’s southern border. Yet while the country’s attention has been on the Rio Grande, some migrant flows have shifted. Ever more people are trying to get to America via its border with Canada. Border Patrol has counted nearly 19,500 encounters with migrants crossing illegally so far this fiscal year, up from roughly 900 in 2021 (see chart). That is a tiny fraction of the foot traffic seen at the boundary with Mexico. But the rise of a northern route shows the challenge of policing the world’s longest land border between two countries, and the fluid nature of migration.