The number of people caught crossing the border illegally from Manitoba into the United States rose sharply over the past six months, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
From October to March, the U.S. Border Patrol encountered 100 people who crossed the Canada-U.S. border from Manitoba into North Dakota or Minnesota.
That did not include nine men rescued from a wetland west of Warroad, Minn., on Tuesday after they crossed illegally into the U.S. from southern Manitoba.
The October-to-March tally exceeded the total number of illegal border crossers encountered by U.S. authorities for the entire previous year.
A total of 81
