Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal, the U.S. Border Patrol’s top official in Maine’s Houlton Sector, on Monday released a promotional video highlighting the agency’s commitment to combatting illegal immigration and human smuggling across the northern border.
“The time for looking the other way is over, Houlton Sector is back in the saddle and looking for work,” wrote Bernal in the caption of the video, posted to the Houlton Sector’s Facebook page.
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In the video, Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal says he will “highlight some of the great work that going into applying consequences to those individuals who choose to violate our federal law,” and proceeds to give stern warnings to illegal aliens and smugglers.
[RELATED: Border Patrol Nabs Four Indian, One Algerian National Attempting Illegal Crossing into Maine…]
“If you are looking to cross into the U.S. illegally because you think the northern border will be easy, don’t, Bernal said. “We will catch you and we will process you for deportation.”
“If you are looking to use the State of Maine as an avenue for your smuggling enterprise, don’t. We will catch you, and we will prosecute you,” he added.
[RELATED: Border Patrol Agents in Caswell Arrest 2 Romanian Nationals Who Illegally Crossed US-Canada Border…]
“The men and women of the Houlton Sector all swore an oath to protect you, those who we serve, and we will continue to work hard to do just that,” Bernal said.
The U.S. Border Patrol’s Houlton Sector encompasses the entire state, coastline and U.S.-Canada border.
Bernal was appointed chief patrol agent of the Houlton Sector in February of last year, after previously serving as the head of the Del Rio Sector — a 242-mile stretch of the southern U.S.-Mexico border.
[RELATED: Former U.S.-Mexico Border Official Selected as New Chief Patrol Agent of Maine’s Houlton Sector…]
The Houlton Sector saw a record number of encounters with illegal border crossers in fiscal year 2024 (FY24), with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reporting a total of 344 encounters, up from 300 in FY23, and just over six times the amount of migrant apprehensions in 2021.
In FY25 to date — October through December 2024 — CBP has reported 172 migrant encounters in the Houlton Sector.
