Data shows two arrests in 2020, five in 2021, two in 2022, 22 in 2023 and 18 in 2024.

Civil liberties advocates say it’s important for the public to know how few border crossings occur along New Hampshire’s border with Canada, while Republican lawmakers view the illegal crossings as a matter of public safety.

“We are pleased to see that CBP will transparently release this data on a regular basis so that everyone has the facts about the very few unauthorized crossings at New Hampshire’s northern border,” said Amanda Azad, policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire. New Hampshire.

The increase in apprehensions New Hampshire saw in 2023 reflected trends in illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border, which reached a record high in 2023 and has declined significantly since then, according to the Pew Research Center. The scale is very different at the country’s southern border, where more than 2 million apprehensions occurred in 2023, according to CBP data.

Along New Hampshire’s northern border, the highest apprehension month was June 2023, when there were nine apprehensions, according to CBP data.

In the last 49 months for which data was available, there were only three months in which there were more than five arrests.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen praised the agency for providing the data to the public.

“I have long called on CBP to provide Granite Staters with public transparency about Border Patrol data for New Hampshire so we can better inform and equip law enforcement, and I am pleased the agency is finally doing so,” said them in a statement.

Previously, the data was only publicly available for the Swanton sector, which includes New Hampshire, Vermont and part of New York. According to Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia, there has been a significant increase in illegal border crossings in this sector.

“Border Patrol agents in the Swanton Sector have apprehended more than 19,222 nationals from 97 different countries since October 1, 2023, which is more than the last 17 fiscal years combined,” Garcia said. social media.

Record-breaking activity in the Swanton sector in 2023 prompted Republican Governor Chris Sununu, with the support of state lawmakers, to create a $1.4 million Northern Border Alliance Task Force, which will direct state and local law enforcement authorized patrols within 25 miles of New Hampshire’s northern border.

Critics of the program said there was no evidence on the number of illegal crossings at the New Hampshire border.

Among those critics was the ACLU of New Hampshire, which ultimately sued CBP in an effort to obtain specific data about New Hampshire. As part of a settlement, CBP released some New Hampshire data to the ACLU in September 2023.

Sununu’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the latest data, but in August 2024 he said the lack of apprehensions was proof his border security initiative was working. The ACLU of New Hampshire argued that the low number of crossings meant the patrol program was unnecessary.

“We urge lawmakers in our state to ensure a fair, balanced and humane approach to immigration policy – ​​one that sets aside the rampant fearmongering and focuses instead on things that actually help Granite Staters in their daily lives.” life,” Azad said on Thursday.

Newly elected Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte has said she would implement a statewide ban on so-called sanctuary cities in New Hampshire, which could require local police to help federal immigration agents detain undocumented people.

“This is a matter of public safety,” Ayotte said in a statement, noting that she has heard directly from law enforcement and residents about their concerns about the problems at the northern border.

“As governor, I will ensure law enforcement along the border has the resources they need to stop illegal immigration and communicate effectively among federal, state and local partners,” she said. “Protecting New Hampshire will always be my top priority.”

House Democrats generally oppose using local law enforcement resources to enforce federal immigration policies, according to House Minority Leader Alexis Simpson.

“Over the past two terms, the New Hampshire House has consistently rejected legislation called ‘anti-sanctuary city bills’ that undermines the work of local law enforcement to maintain important relationships with immigrant groups in their neighborhoods and communities,” she said.

Newly elected Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka said the federal government must address the situation at the border from a security and humanitarian perspective.

“Here in New Hampshire, we must continue to work with and support local law enforcement as they keep our communities safe and foster relationships with immigrant communities, with the ultimate goal of an orderly and efficient path to citizenship,” she said.

According to a Globe review, there are at least four discrepancies between the data released to the ACLU of New Hampshire and the data now publicly available on the CBP website.

In September 2023, CBP told the ACLU that there were seven arrests that month, while public records show there were only two. And CBP told the ACLU that there were no apprehensions in the months of November 2024, January 2024 and May 2024, while public records show there were six, seven and three apprehensions on those dates.

A spokesperson for Shaheen’s office said the senator will call on the agency to verify the accuracy of the data CBP has provided to the public.

A CBP spokesperson could not respond to a question about the discrepancy at the time of publication.

This article will be updated if CBP provides additional information about the accuracy of publicly available data.

Amanda Gokee can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @amanda_gokee.