Sununu Says NH’s Border With Canada Needs Better Protection

The southern border of the United States gets the most attention when it comes to illegal activity, but Gov. Chris Sununu said it happens at the northern border, too.

The governor told Fox News' Fox and Friends Sunday morning that the biggest problem is drugs being brought into the U.S. over the Canadian border, which runs for 58 miles. The issue is exacerbated by border patrol agents being moved to the southern border.

"The smugglers and dealers on the southern border will find any which way to come in because they know there is a market everywhere. They're flooding the market not just with illegal drugs, but a whole different level of purity and effectiveness," Sununu said, adding that fentanyl is being found in marijuana and cocaine.

Illegal border crossing is not limited to the main border crossing on Route 3 between Pittsburg and Chartierville, Quebec.

"They're coming over private lands. They're not just coming down the road anymore. They have their little smuggling and signal systems that a lot of our citizens have been alerting the border agents about," Sununu said. "We're trying to put more State Police at that northern border."

It's not just a single cartel that is responsible for the northern smuggling like it is in the south, according to Sununu.

"It's all these different factions that are out there. All these different opportunists, because when there is an opportunity they're going to take advantage of it," Sununu said.

Dangerous Work

U.S. Customs and Border Protection patrol agent Erik Lavallee told WMUR the northern border can be dangerous, as cell phone service is poor and the area is mostly forest at the immediate border.

The Pittsburg police department has just one member, its police chief, but border agents are cross-certified.

Lavallee told WMUR that agents are being sent south and that smuggling is also an issue in the north.

Sununu took a veiled swipe at the Biden administration on Fox and Friends for not acknowledging a problem at the northern border.

"Here's an idea. Let's show up and actually look at the problem. If you're not willing to accept there's a problem, you're sure as heck not the one to fix it," Sununu said.

Sununu made his run for re-election for official with a visit to the state Secretary of State's office Friday to file on the last day.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH