US Border Patrol Agents Have Been Illegally Invading Canadian Waters
The U.S./Canada border continues to be the site of much contention. As a trade war escalates between the two countries and Trump berates the Canadian prime minister, confrontations along the longest border in the world will likely grow in frequency.
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First, news broke that U.S. border patrol agents have the right to seize Canadians' cellphones without a warrant, effectively suspending tourists' rights before they are admitted. Recently, American officials have also established checkpoints in New England to question travelling foreigners.
Now it seems U.S. border agents have become even more emboldened by Trump's bombastic rhetoric about national security.
On two separate occasions in the month of June, U.S. agents violated sovereign Canadian waters off the coast of New Brunswick.
Without a definite line that defines the border, the sea is often a grey-area to the wandering boatman. But one island and its surrounding area in particular are well-defined Canadian territory.
The agents approached Machias Seal Island and stopped Canadian fishermen in an attempt to catch people entering the country illegally.
Whether these crossings are attempts by the U.S. agency to police Canadian waters or isolated incidents remains to be seen. But the timing of these events amidst the implementation of more aggressive American border policy is certainly suspicious.
Right now, the U.S. and Canada have bilateral agreements to allow safe passage for commerical vessles around aquatic borders. Only time will tell if those agreements are threatened.
