Despite the increase in organized crime at the border between Canada and the United States, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) plans to reduce the number of officers patrolling the vast area in Quebec.

The information obtained by the Public Broadcasting Corporation is that the command of RCMP agents present at the border in the province will be reassigned to other sectors.

Border agents in Quebec have recently been informed of this prospect, which caused misunderstanding and frustration among those affected, who had been living through an unprecedented situation regarding illegal crossings for several months.

As revealed by the Enquête program, criminal networks, some linked to Mexican gangs, now use Canada, especially Quebec, as a gateway to the United States.

Every day, smugglers take migrants directly to the states of New York and Vermont, mainly through Canadian fields, forests, or wilderness. Pierre Massie, head of the RCMP Border Safety program, confirmed that this is a new phenomenon related to organized crime.

The U.S. police arrested nearly 7,000 people, half of whom were of Mexican origin, in this sector between October 2022 and 2023. This represents an increase of 550% compared to the previous year, according to data provided by U.S. Border Police.

For his part, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he takes this threat seriously and promised to increase staff during a speech he gave before the House of Commons on November 21.

But according to information obtained by Radio Canada, the opposite will happen, especially in the Champlain area in southern Quebec. This area is the most used in Canada for human smuggling.

Currently, to cover this area, which extends 168 kilometers from Dundee in Monteregie to Lake Memphremagog in the Eastern Townships, there are usually twelve officers from the RCMP's C section on each shift.

"This is the number on paper. In reality, sometimes there are far fewer, sometimes only six or seven officers on patrol, considering leaves and absences due to illness or training, as well as the sergeant who stays in the office," said one agent, who prefers to speak anonymously because he is not authorized to speak publicly.

This number is expected to decrease further in the coming months, Radio Canada has learned.

Without specifying the exact number of affected officers—for security reasons—the RCMP confirmed that there will be a structural change in the near future. Charles Poirier, the spokesperson for the federal police force, said: "No position will be eliminated and no one will lose their job."

According to our information, about fifteen agents may be affected. That is nearly a quarter of the current daily workforce.