Canada
'These are dynamic situations': 1 dead, 9 arrested in separate border raids in Alberta.
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VIDEO: One person is dead after an incident at the Coutts border crossing. The situation escalated when a driver fled north onto the southbound lanes of Highway 2. As Sarah Offin reports, the incident also turned a rural Alberta property into a crime scene.
One person died and nine others were taken into custody by the Canada Border Services Agency this week after two separate raids near Alberta's border with the United States.
At a news conference in Edmonton on Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, regional commander of the RCMP's Northwest Region, spoke about the two incidents near Coutts, Alta. This week and last month near Emerson, Manitoba.Screenshot_20250206-045717.png
The latest attempted border incursion Moreland is talking about happened Tuesday and prompted an alert to the Alberta Major Incident Response Team, the province's police watchdog.
In that case, Moreland said a U.S. citizen attempted to enter Canada at the border crossing near Coutts around 7:45 a.m. and was diverted to a secondary inspection area. At that point, he said he left the port of entry and the RCMP and Lethbridge Police Service were called.
RCMP releases new video of migrant interception at Canada-U.S. border
She said the suspect vehicle was located near Raymond, Alta., and officers attempted to stop the driver, but the vehicle would not stop. She said officers later saw the driver holding what they believed was a gun. A compressed air deflation device was deployed near the Milk River, Alberta. The vehicle stopped and Moreland said the driver fled on foot while being pursued by the Mounties.
At one point, while being pursued, Moreland said the individual shot himself and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Moreland said Tuesday's incident highlighted how quickly the RCMP can respond to attempted illegal crossings, as well as "the risks our officers and CBSA officers face at the border."
"These situations are dynamic," he said. A suspicious truck at the Coutts border crossing on February 4, 2025. A suspicious truck at the Coutts border crossing on February 4, 2025. Provided by RCMP
The RCMP says the Mounted Police also responded to a possible border incursion near Coutts at 6:16 a.m. local time on Monday after the U.S. Border Patrol contacted the RCMP. Moreland said officers found four adults and five youths traveling on foot and with suitcases. She said all nine were turned over to the CBSA for processing.
In addition to reiterating that people should not attempt to cross illegally, Moreland noted that the weather conditions were "extremely cold" in all three incidents and that the people attempting to cross the border were not properly dressed for Canadian winter conditions.
"There is a cross-border aspect, but also a humanitarian aspect," she said. "[There were] incidents where people were unable to cross."
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Four adults and five youths attempted to cross the Canada-U.S. border near Coutts on foot on Feb. 2. February 3, 2025. Four adults and five youths attempt to cross the Canada-U.S. border on foot near Coutts, February 3, 2025. Photo provided by RCMP
The issue of border security has been at the center of national news for weeks. Since last month, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and a 10% tariff on energy imported from Canada. He said one of the reasons he is considering the measure is because he would like to see Canada increase its border operations to prevent illegal immigrants and fentanyl from crossing into the United States. On Monday, Trump suspended the planned implementation of the tariffs for 30 days after Canada pledged to spend more money to fight organized crime, said it would appoint a "fentanyl czar" and designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.
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