HOULTON, Maine – U.S. Border Patrol agents from Houlton Sector arrested a subject on Dec. 10, as a result of a citizen reporting suspicious activity of a male hitchhiker in close proximity of the Canadian border in Houlton, Maine.
A Houlton Sector Border Patrol agent patrolling the U.S./Canada border on an ATV in Maine.
“This is a great example of the importance the public has in assisting our agents in Maine with border security. As members of the community, they know who and what belongs, and who is out of place,” said Patrol Agent in Charge Dennis Harmon, Houlton Station. “Another great example due to a citizens call was in Aug. 2014, when agents arrested a Rwandan wanted for war crimes, so if someone sees something, please report it.”
Agents from the Houlton Border Patrol Station responded to a call from a concerned citizen reporting an adult male hitchhiking south of the Canadian border in the Houlton area. When agents encountered the individual, he was walking on a local Road. During initial questioning by agents, the subject, a Canadian, was determined to be illegally present in the U.S., a violation of USC 1325, Entry Without Inspection. Subsequently, the individual was transported to the Houlton Station for further investigation.
After further questioning and database verifications, agents were also able to determine that the individual was reported as a missing person from Canada on Dec. 9. The subject was processed as a voluntary removal and returned to Canada through the Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada, port of entry.
The Houlton Sector thanks and appreciates the concerned citizen for reporting this incident. Your assistance is invaluable to our border security mission and we welcome other community members to help us keep our nation’s borders safe and report suspicious activity at 1-800-851-8727.
For more on CBP’s mission at our nation’s ports of entry with CBP officers and along U.S. borders with Border Patrol agents, please visit the Border Security section of the CBP website.