Illegal crossings drop, but U.S. agents fear migrants 'will continue to lose their lives'

While the number of illegal crossings at the North Dakota and Minnesota border with Canada is dropping, U.S. authorities still fear human trafficking will lead to more deaths during the dangerous winter months.

"Human smugglers … only value their self-profit, with total disregard for human life," said Scott Garrett, the chief patrol agent for the Grand Forks Sector — the U.S. Customs and Border Protection division responsible for overseeing nearly 1,400 kilometres of the international border shared between North Dakota and Minnesota in the U.S., and the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.

"The reality is that illegal aliens have and will continue to lose their lives while crossing the border, despite our consistent warnings."

During a news conference on Tuesd