The Canaan Border Patrol Station is one of two such stations in the Town of Canaan. It is located on the western side of Canaan. Both stations are operated by the Customs Border Protection (CBP) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the Swanton Sector that covers the border in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.
Although Canaan is a relatively lightly traveled crossing, it is the site of a new multi-million dollar Border Patrol facility. After a selection process taking two years, Canaan was chosen for construction of this new facility. Groundbreaking was held in July 2011, and the facility has a landing pad for helicopters, K-9 facilities, holding cells, and a shooting range. Capable of housing up to 50 agents, this facility is increasing the availability of Border Patrol jobs in Canaan.
The Mission of Border Control Agents in Canaan
Although border crossings, especially by locals, used to be treated in a rather laissez-faire manner, this has changed since 9/11. Restrictions were tightened further in 2008. Both U.S. and Canadian citizens are now required to present government-issued photo ID in addition to proof of citizenship, such as a passport, naturalization certificate, or birth certificate. It is the job of the Border Patrol agents to monitor vehicular and foot traffic that crosses the border from Route 141 in Canada to ensure that these actions are being taken legally.
Although no potential terrorists have been observed trying to cross over into Vermont, the possibility is a continuing source of concern to the US government and US citizens. A primary consideration of these Border Patrol agents is to prevent potential terrorists from gaining egress into the U.S.
Another concern is preventing drugs and weapons from being transferred into the U.S. from over the border. Additionally, these agents monitor those who cross the border to make sure they are doing so legally. The smuggling of both drugs and people has taken place across the U.S.’s northern border. Agents at the new Canaan facility will be able to monitor a wide swath of this border, from northern New Hampshire to northeastern Vermont to keep U.S. citizens safe from illegal border crossings.