NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Thousands of people attempt to illegally enter the United States every year, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While most of the focus is on the southern border, human smuggling remains an issue on the northern border as well.

There’s no shortage of work for the Niagara Falls Border Patrol station.

“Every border has some element of smuggling on it,” said Brady Waikel, Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station agent in charge.

Their 24/7 patrols work threefold: a show of force, checking for marks left by illegal crossings and monitoring border traffic.

“In the Buffalo area, illegal entries are down, but it is still occurring,” said Waikel. “We’ve had approximately about 10 different events this year.”

That’s down from last year, when Waikel says the Buffalo area saw 30 events, with 50 people crossing.

It reflects a national downward trend.

Waikel noted that what was around 7,000 crossings a day is now down to about 200.

“The lower river seems to be the hot spot,” Waikel said. “The water here is much calmer … but anyone who’s used to being on the water here knows the water here is still very fast.”

Stopping those illegal crossings is the number one mission for U.S. Border Patrol. While those numbers have gone down recently, there is a lot more to their mission.

“It’s also a place where illegal goods and people crossing illegally come to reside and where they pass through. So we have to attack all three of those aspects,” said Waikel.

With the border closed to most immigration, there’s more focus on finding those who are living in the country without legal status and the smugglers helping them in, often on cheap and unsafe inflatable boats.

“I’ve been here for five years in Buffalo sector, and I’ve not seen our number of arrests as high as they are,” said Waikel. “Right now, Buffalo sector has arrested over 1,300 people so far this fiscal year. About 750 of those are in the Buffalo-Niagara region.”

While many have condemned increases in immigration raids and operations, Waikel points out that immigrants lacking legal status are breaking the law.

Border Patrol is there to stop that. Upgrades from the government will help.

“Recent legislation is providing funding and for more technology, more agents in our area,” said Waikel. “Once we have that on the ground, that helps us to lessen the chances of people slipping through.”

It’s a dual-nation initiative.

Canada’s border plan is backed by a $1.3 billion investment. According to the Canada Border Service Agency, so far in 2025, they’ve opened 70 cases related to human smuggling, with eight convictions.

With cameras, sensors and patrols, both countries’ efforts are also helped by residents along the border.

“We rely on people who live here to help report activity that they know that’s not normal,” Waikel said.

Even with more aggressive enforcement, people are still coming. Waikel just wants them to not do it illegally.

“You want to come to the United States. You want to enjoy our economy. You want to enjoy our freedoms. Just do it legally and we’ll welcome you with open arms,” he said.