US northern border sees Romanian illegal immigrant influx as expert predicts what could be driving them
According to one immigration expert, relaxed Canadian visa requirements could be causing an uptick in Romanian illegal immigrants crossing the border to the United States.
“First of all, the reason they’re coming from Canada is that Canada lifted visa requirements for Romanians in 2017, I believe,” Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. “So it’s a lot simpler to get to Canada than it is to here if you’re a Romanian. And so then you sneak over the border. And why don’t you stay in Canada instead of come here? I don’t know.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from the Houlton Sector in Maine shows Romanians made up less than 1% of border crossings in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2024, that number increased to nearly 12%. Out of 344 illegal crossings in the sector, 40 people were identified as Romanian nationals.
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Border Patrol stakes out a rural area near the Canadian border in Canaan, Vt., on Jan. 20, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Houlton Sector is located in northeast Maine, bordering New Brunswick, Canada.
Krikorian suggested that Romanians might be trying to link up with family members in large cities. I-95 runs directly through Houlton, which may make it simpler for migrants to travel south and connect with relatives.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in the Houlton Sector arrest a person who illegally crossed the U.S.-Canada border into Maine this month. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection-Houlton Sector)
He explained that the majority of Romanians who leave their country flee to Italy and, to a lesser extent, Germany and other European Union countries. Still, more enterprising migrants might continue to the United States.
“Italy is one of the big destinations for many Romanians,” Krikorian said. “But there are going to be people who want to come here. I mean, the United States is better off than Italy, too. There’s more opportunities here.”
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A Border Patrol agent keeps an eye on a road near the U.S.-Canada border in Mooers Fork, N.Y., on Jan. 23, 2025. (REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)
But with changing visa requirements for Romanians wishing to enter the U.S., Krikorian expects illegal immigration numbers among Romanians to decline beginning at the end of this month.
Romanian nationals will become eligible for the Visa Waiver Program at the end of March. The program allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, whether for tourism or business.
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A chart from the Center for Immigration Studies shows the foreign-born population in the U.S. over the last few presidential administrations. (Center for Immigration Studies)
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Krikorian said that as a result, the number of illegal Romanian immigrants will drop, but the number of legal Romanian entrants will rise, some of whom will overstay their visas.
“So illegal immigration of Romanians will just switch, will transform from border jumpers to visa over-stayers,” he said.
