Police in B.C. respond to three separate illegal border crossings in two days

Police said five people have been taken into custody over a two-day period for illegally crossing the Canada-U.S. border in Abbotsford, B.C.

The department said in a statement released Friday that officers responded to three separate illegal border crossings on Wednesday and Thursday.

It said a family of three was intercepted near Zero Avenue and Mt. Lehman Road around 10 p.m. Wednesday.

A lone man was found by the police crossing the border early Thursday morning, while that night another man was apprehended near Boundary Road after crossing into Canada.

The department’s Sgt. Paul Walker said all three incidents were immigration related, and one man was arrested on an outstanding B.C. warrant, while the remaining four have been turned over to the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency.

A portion of Abbotsford — about 80 kilometres southeast of Vancouver — sits along the Canada-U.S. border, and the department says it has responded to 20 illegal border crossings so far this year.

Luke Reimer, a spokesman with Canada Border Services Agency, said in a statement that they are unable to disclose the nationalities of those who are detained.

“All foreign nationals are subject to immigration examinations, and all asylum claimants receive an independent assessment of the eligibility of their claim,” said Reimer.

He said crossing the border between ports of entry is “illegal and dangerous.”

Vancouver immigration lawyer Zool Suleman said border officials are probably holding those people to confirm their identities.

“So, just because they were detained a day ago or two days ago doesn’t mean they will stay detained all the way through,” said Suleman.

“Every case depends on if they can confirm identity, if there is a refugee claim involved or not, or if they have any close family, these are factors in releasing people until further investigation takes place.”

Suleman said border officials will also check to see if there is any kind of human smuggling involved. If so, then they would be asking for details about their contact person and how they got to the border.

Abbotsford Police said officers have attended about 60 border-related incidents so far this year, including drug enforcement and traffic stops.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2025.