On August 2, Swanton Sector Border Patrol conducted a ground-breaking ceremony in Champlain, NY., commemorating the beginning of construction on a new Border Patrol Station.
The 36,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for completion in August 2025 and is designed to accommodate 50 Border Patrol agents and support staff.
The keynote speakers for the event were Swanton Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia and Acting Patrol Agent in Charge of the Champlain Station Raymond Bresnahan.
Chief Garcia began by sharing with the audience of approximately 60 guests the unprecedented number of apprehensions Champlain Station and Swanton Sector as a whole are currently experiencing and stated: “The Champlain Station is the busiest station in the busiest sector on our entire northern border. This fiscal year alone, as a sector, in 10 months, we have surpassed eight prior whole fiscal years’ worth of apprehensions of illegal border crossings.”
Patrol Agent in Charge Bresnahan’s speech followed; “As the threats to our nation changed over the years, so did the staffing and operational tempo,” he said. “Champlain station currently leads not only Swanton Sector but the entire northern border in noncitizen apprehensions. The list of challenges handling this type of increased workload in such a small, outdated facility is staggering.”
The current station on Ridge Road was constructed in 1989 and designed to accommodate 15 agents. The station is responsible for approximately 29 miles of the international boundary from the New York/Vermont border to Churubusco, NY, and plays a crucial role in maintaining operational control of our nation’s border.
The Swanton Sector is responsible for securing the land border between ports of entry in Vermont, New Hampshire, and northeastern New York. Citizens reporting suspicious activity is invaluable to the Border Patrol’s mission, and we welcome community members’ information to help to keep our nation’s borders safe. To report suspicious activity in Swanton Sector, please call 1-800-689-3362.
