Border Patrol Agents often operate All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) in rugged or remote areas along the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Courtesy

The Swanton Sector area of responsibility encompasses some 24,000 square miles and includes all of the state of Vermont; Clinton, Essex, Franklin, St. Lawrence, Hamilton, and Herkimer Counties of New York; and Coos, Grafton, and Carroll Counties of New Hampshire

U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Courtesy

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BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

CANTON -- State Assembly and Senate officials will hold a press conference at the St. Lawrence County Courthouse Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.

Sen. Dan Stec (45th Senate District) and Assemblyman Scott Gray (R-Watertown) will be joined by key regional law enforcement officials to discuss  legislation (bill A.5145) that proposes amendments to the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act of 2019, exempting counties bordering Canada from specific provisions of the Act.

The bill addresses growing concerns over the impact of the Green Light Law on local border security and law enforcement practices.

The Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, commonly called the 'Green Light Law', was enacted on June 17, 2019, and took effect on Dec. 16, 2019. It allows all New Yorkers age 16 and older to apply for a standard, not-for-federal purpose, non-commercial driver license or learner permit regardless of their citizenship or lawful status in the United States.

Licenses issued under that law are not recognized at the federal level.

Assemblyman Gray explained that the Green Light Laws restrict the sharing of information between local and federal agencies. He said they can't access driving records or criminal records, which can create a dangerous situation for border agents.

"One border patrol agent told me that unless they change this a border patrol agent could encounter a New York Statute resident with a murder warrant and not know it," he said.

Gray says the proposed changes would exempt border counties from the Green Light Laws, which would allow information sharing in counties like St. Lawrence County.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Rick Engle and other participating sheriffs will provide insights into the challenges faced due to increased migrant crossings and the implications of current state laws on their ability to collaborate with federal agencies.

In a recent interview with North Country This Week, Engle said illegal border crossings in the Swanton sector have been growing at an exponential rate.

Engle said he has concerns about how the process is handled. One of the major issues, according to the sheriff, is that when someone is caught, they are often issued an appearance ticket for asylum hearings in federal court.

Engle said that once the ticket is issued, that person is considered documented until the court date, but the problem he says is that the tickets in some cases order the court appearance as many as five years later.

Engle said that reforms need to be made to ensure that courts are able to adjudicate in a timely manner.

Engle said that he believes most people in St. Lawrence County don't realize the extent of the problem and just how many people are entering the country illegally along the northern border.

As of July 25, over 15,000 apprehensions have been made in the Swanton Sector dating back to October 2023.

According to data from the U.S. Border Service apprehensions have exceeded the total number of apprehensions made by Swanton Sector in the previous 13 fiscal years combined (FY11-FY23), according to Border Patrol officials.