Erie as a border city (Pittsburgh, North East: crime, home, living in)

[trackstar13]

So I have been wondering about this topic for a while and finally decided to post something and see if anyone knows more about Erie as a U.S. border city. During my local travels via train, bus, plane, and boat in the Erie area I have noticed Border Patrol personnel checking luggage, documents, etc. and I found out that Erie has a border patrol station after I looked into this further. I have two questions or thoughts and I posted some links and quotes from articles below my thoughts. I would also love to hear any stories you have about what you have witnessed in relation to border patrol in Erie.

1.) I am wondering how many of you think of Erie as a U.S. border city?
2.) Erie Border Patrol falls under the Buffalo sector, which leads the Northern Border Sectors for apprehensions, and I was wondering if anyone had some more recent data about apprehensions in Erie or knew where to find it. I am interested because it seems like there is a pretty significant border patrol presence in Erie and when I saw the numbers for 2008-9, I was very surprised to see 588 apprehensions in on year attributed to Erie.

The Border Patrol operations in Erie, nearly six years old, include more than 30 agents who apprehended 588 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2008-09.

Few people think of Erie as a border town, said the Border Patrol agent in charge of the Erie station, Andrew Scharnweber. The Canadian border is at a distance, from 10 to 22 miles off the shore in Lake Erie.

Erie Station - CBP.gov
U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Border Security
U.S. Border Patrol expands presence in Erie | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News
Border patrol | GoErie.com/Erie Times-News

[Hopes]

I never thought of it as a border town. You're right, it most certainly is. The same goes with all of the Great Lakes coastline. I always wonder why they focus on the cities. You'd think people would be sneaking in along the rural areas. But what do I know. Maybe they don't do that because they'll stick out like a sore thumb. You'd think that the drug smugglers would have someone with a vehicle waiting on this side though. There is a coast guard station in Erie. I always assumed they patrolled the lake.

Interesting topic.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I never thought of it as a border town. You're right, it most certainly is. The same goes with all of the Great Lakes coastline. I always wonder why they focus on the cities. You'd think people would be sneaking in along the rural areas. But what do I know. Maybe they don't do that because they'll stick out like a sore thumb. You'd think that the drug smugglers would have someone with a vehicle waiting on this side though. There is a coast guard station in Erie. I always assumed they patrolled the lake.

Interesting topic.

I think the Erie Border Patrol has a pretty large coastline that they patrol and I believe it includes the entire PA Lake Erie shoreline and some parts of the Ohio Lake Erie shoreline. I also thought the Coast Guard patrolled the water, but I guess it is a shared effort between the Coast Guard and Border Patrol. I have just been surprised by this because I have just seen Border Patrol agents fairly often and I never expected this because the land border with Canada is more than a hundred miles away, but I also never realized how close Canada was by water until I started researching the Border Patrol in Erie.

[WPANative]

I grew up and lived in Erie most of my life in Erie, although now living in Pittsburgh.

I always grew up realizng how close we were to Canada. We didn't have cable tv in the Erie area until around 1981-82, so my dad had one of those huge antenna's on the top of our house, and my sister and I grew up exposed more to Canadian culture than American. People in Pittsburgh don't understand, but this is why I am a Canadian hockey fan and don't follow the Penguins.

My Uncle works part time at Presque Isle marina. I distinctly remember a drug bust going down in the marina involving the DEA, FBI, etc. It's not something that happens often though, I think the Border Patrol often ends up assisting Erie Police in a lot of domestic issues.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by WPANative

I distinctly remember a drug bust going down in the marina involving the DEA, FBI, etc. It's not something that happens often though, I think the Border Patrol often ends up assisting Erie Police in a lot of domestic issues.

This could be the case and I wonder if many of the apprehensions by the Erie border patrol are from people who crossed into the US from Canada or from Mexico. In other words, illegal immigrants who are already established in the US vs. recent illegal immigrants who are stopped as they cross from Canada or shortly after.

[WPANative]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

This could be the case and I wonder if many of the apprehensions by the Erie border patrol are from people who crossed into the US from Canada or from Mexico. In other words, illegal immigrants who are already established in the US vs. recent illegal immigrants who are stopped as they cross from Canada or shortly after.

It's very well documented that most of the drug/gang activity that has infiltrated Erie is Detroit affiliated. The border patrol also has a strong pressence in Detroit because of it's proximity to Windsor ON. I was watching a documentary on crime in Detroit, and the border patrol often performs as police for Detroit, because Detroit's budget woes have severely cut the police force.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by WPANative

I always grew up realizng how close we were to Canada. We didn't have cable tv in the Erie area until around 1981-82, so my dad had one of those huge antenna's on the top of our house, and my sister and I grew up exposed more to Canadian culture than American. People in Pittsburgh don't understand, but this is why I am a Canadian hockey fan and don't follow the Penguins.

Same here. I was fluent in French at one time ,in part, from listening to the radio stations.

[WPANative]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Same here. I was fluent in French at one time ,in part, from listening to the radio stations.

CKCO out of Kitchener/Waterloo and CHCH out of Hamilton were standards at our home

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Same here. I was fluent in French at one time ,in part, from listening to the radio stations.

Imagine our surprise when sight-seeing in Erie County when we pressed "scan" on our FM radio in our car while driving on I-90 between Erie and North East and picked up several Canadian broadcast stations, including at least one in French! That's when you realize just how close you truly are to our Northern neighbors.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by WPANative

CKCO out of Kitchener/Waterloo and CHCH out of Hamilton were standards at our home

We mostly watched the CBC affiliate Channel 10 out of London; call letters CFPL? Hockey Night in Canada, baby.

We also could pull in Channel 6 from Toronto along with the Kitchener and Hamilton stations.

Other than CKLW - the Big 8! - from Windsor, I don't recall listening to much Canadian radio. I did get a kick out of that French language station, especially when it was broadcasting a hockey game.