Mexican man accused of smuggling family on raft along Niagara River
· Toronto Sun
U.S. border agents arrested two men and one woman earlier this month in Buffalo, accusing the trio of illegally entering the U.S. from Canada by rubber raft on the frigid Niagara River with an infant on board.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents stationed in Buffalo investigated on March 15 reports of an illegal entry from the Ontario side of the border.
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According to border officials, agents spotted a small rubber raft and one individual. In addition, a man from Ireland, a woman from the United Kingdom and their infant child were found hiding behind a nearby tree.
All four, including the operator of the raft who is a Mexican man with no criminal record, had crossed the Upper Niagara River from Canada and were taken into custody, border officials said.
Three charges against Mexican man
Agents charged the Mexican man with human smuggling, unlawful entry into the U.S., and child endangerment.
The man from Ireland was charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after officials said he was deported in June 2025. He is also wanted in Rhode Island on felony assault charges where he will be extradited to following prosecution of his federal immigration charges.
The woman and her infant were processed and removed to Canada, officials said.
“Crossing the border illegally is dangerous under any circumstances, but taking an infant across the freezing Niagara River in a small raft is especially reckless,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent James D’Amato, U.S. Border Patrol Buffalo Sector, said in a statement.
“This kind of risk endangers not just the adults, but the life of a very young child and the Border Patrol agents who put their lives at risk every day securing our nation’s borders.”