A group of nine individuals from Venezuela and Colombia, apprehended after illegally crossing into Canada near Coutts, Alberta, on February 3, 2025, have been handed back to U.S. authorities. The four adults and five youths were detained by the RCMP under the Customs Act at around 6:15 a.m., trudging through -28 C weather with suitcases in tow—conditions worsened by a wind chill dipping to -33 C.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) transferred the group to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Sweetgrass, Montana, port of entry, where they were processed and passed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for enforcement and removal operations. “Crossing between ports of entry is illegal and unsafe,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer emphasized, noting that legitimate entry requires reporting to a designated checkpoint. No charges were filed in Canada; instead, the group was swiftly returned to the U.S.
CBP spokesperson Jason Givens confirmed the handover, with the individuals classified as “inadmissibles”—those denied lawful U.S. entry at ports. Meanwhile, a separate incident on February 4 saw a driver illegally enter Coutts, fleeing a secondary inspection only to die later from a self-inflicted gunshot during an RCMP chase. (Photo: RCMP-supplied image of the suspect’s vehicle.)
The CBSA and RCMP share border duties, with the former handling ports and the latter patrolling between them. Privacy laws shield the migrants’ identities, leaving their current status unclear as ICE has yet to respond to inquiries. In January, Alberta saw 35 asylum claims processed by CBSA, mostly at airports, a fraction of the 2,465 nationwide.