Plattsburgh, New York – In freezing cold, two Venezuelan friends—Néstor and José—stood shivering at a Sunoco gas station near Plattsburgh, anxiously searching for a taxi. Fresh off a Greyhound bus from New York City, the pair had one goal: cross into Canada and seek asylum. Wrapped only in thin jackets with no gloves or hats, they braced against the biting 3°C air. The forecast? A dangerous drop to -17°C in the coming days.
They aren’t alone. Plattsburgh has become a critical point for migrants hoping to enter Canada. While some attempt legal border crossings, others like Néstor and José are taking their chances through treacherous forest paths. With no taxi in sight, they began walking—risking their lives for a shot at safety and stability in the north.
This surge isn’t new. A similar influx occurred in 2017, during Donald Trump’s first term. Now, under a renewed wave of tough U.S. immigration enforcement, history is repeating itself.
Canada, anticipating this spike, has reopened processing centers in Quebec and ramped up border surveillance. But there's a twist—Roxham Road, once the unofficial backdoor for migrants, was shut down in 2023. The result? Even riskier crossings through remote, unpatrolled wilderness.
Human rights organizations report a troubling rise in smuggling networks since Roxham Road’s closure. One heartbreaking example is Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores, a pregnant Mexican woman who vanished while attempting to cross a river with a smuggler’s help. The smuggler was later arrested, but Ana remains missing.
This migration wave isn't just a story of movement—it's a collision of survival, policy, and geopolitics. Much like the 19th-century escape routes used by enslaved African Americans, today’s migrants are retracing those same paths, desperate for freedom, dignity, and safety.
As the U.S. tightens immigration laws, North America faces a growing moral and logistical challenge. The border is no longer just a line—it's a test of humanity.
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