A migrant who attempted to cross the border at Potton in Estrie to reach the United States on Friday night was near death.
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The individual, who would be Hispanic, attempted to cross into the United States from Canada via Chemin Laplume in the Mansonville sector to seek asylum.
A former customs post that was closed for several decades was located on this highway and provided access to the community of Highwater, Vermont by crossing the Missisquoi River.
In the blizzard, the person got lost trying to pass through the patch of forest that now replaces the customs post.
He would then have contacted his spouse who might be in Mexico.
She would then have informed the Canadian authorities.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) went in search of him and eventually found him around 7:30am Saturday morning.
Potton Fire Chief James Bouthillier says the man had a hypothermia and was suffering from frostbite when he was found.
He was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries but there is no fear for his life.
Locals say this isn’t the first time people have attempted to cross the border into the United States this way.
Last Tuesday, a couple of Mexicans who flew into Toronto would have run into the Mansonville sector with a ticket to try and cross over to the American side.
However, they would have been captured by the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) would have taken them to a petrol station in Potton so they could phone relatives to pick them up.
It seems that this type of passage has been occurring again and again for a number of years.
These are often people who want to find their loved ones and seek asylum in the United States.