A large number of migrants from Romania have illegally crossed the border into the United States from Canada in recent years.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data showed 2,548 Romanians were encountered by border patrol agents across the country in the 2024 fiscal year. Of those encounters, 865 of them happened along the northern border.
Romanians in particular have made up an increasing number of illegal migrants crossing the border into Maine.
In 2024, the nationality made up 12 percent of crossings into the state. That is a sharp increase from just four percent the year before.
Houlton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal argued that criminal operations in the Northeast may be a contributing factor to the growing number.
‘What’s really common, especially with the Romanian demographic, is that a lot are involved in some type of fraudulent activity,’ Bernal told Bangor Daily News.
‘They tell [friends and family], “Come down, we’re making all this money exploiting the locals and committing these fraudulent acts.”‘
On February 5, Bernal revealed that two Romanian youths were captured by border patrol agents in the snowy woods after illegally entering the country.
Romanians in particular have made up an increasing number of illegal migrants crossing the border into Maine
On February 5 two Romanian youths were captured by border patrol agents in the snowy woods after illegally entering the country
‘Thanks to a tip from a concerned citizen, Border Patrol Agents near Caswell, Maine used a small Unmanned Aerial System to locate and arrest two subjects from Romania, who had recently crossed the border illegally,’ Bernal said.
In one encounter from November 2023, 20 Romanians in four cars illegally crossed into Maine during a ‘border rush’, reported the Bangor Daily News.
Of those illegal migrants, two of them were criminals listed on the Transnational Criminal Organized Crime database and were processed for expedited removal hearings.
Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications at the Migration Policy Institute, suggested the increase could be an indicator of a smuggling market.
‘Some person or entity is now facilitating travel and making it easier for people who have the money to pay for a smuggler,’ Mittelstadt said.
‘But again, with conditions so favorable for Romanians to access other EU countries, it seems unlikely that this represents the start of a significant new pattern of movement.’
While it is more common for Romanians to migrate throughout Europe since the nation joined the European Union in 2007, there are some contributing factors experts believe to the large sharing trying to enter the U.S.
A recent survey of EU members found Romanian citizens are among the most dissatisfied Europeans with their lives, reported non-profit Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
Houlton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal (pictured) argued that criminal operations in the Northeast may be a contributing factor to the growing number
The survey found 38 percent of people in the country declared themselves completely dissatisfied, with around a third reporting that they expect their lives to get worse in 2025.
The most important problems reported by Romanian citizens included price increases, the country’s economic situation and the war in nearby Ukraine.
