Woman arrested trying to walk across U.S. border from Niagara Region

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CMP) officer stands near a security booth as vehicles approach in Detroit, Michigan, on June 1, 2009. (Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press)

U.S. Border Patrol said they recently arrested a woman who walked across a railway bridge from Niagara Region into Buffalo, NY in what officials are describing as an apparent human smuggling attempt.

In a news release issued Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the incident occurred on May 25 when agents patrolling the area spotted a woman walking across the International Railroad Bridge, which connects Fort Erie, Ont. to Buffalo.

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Once the woman completed the crossing, officials said she entered a vehicle driven by an awaiting male. Border Patrol agents and CBP officers arrested both individuals onsite, officials said.

The woman, who was determined to be from China, was charged with unlawful entry into the U.S. and returned to Canada, CBP said. The driver, meanwhile, is awaiting prosecution on undisclosed charges, they said.

“The smuggling of people and contraband across the border is a serious crime that puts others at great risk of injury or death, especially in unsafe areas such as railroad bridges and the river,” Chief Patrol Agent Thomas G. Martin, U.S. Border Patrol Buffalo Sector, said in the news release.

“Border Patrol agents stand vigilant against criminals who seek to profit without regard to the safety of others and the community.”