US northern border sees Romanian illegal immigrant influx as expert predicts what could be driving them

According to one immigration expert, relaxed Canadian visa requirements could be causing an uptick in Romanian illegal immigrants crossing the border to the United States.

"First of all, the reason they're coming from Canada is that Canada lifted visa requirements for Romanians in 2017, I believe," Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. "So it's a lot simpler to get to Canada than it is to here if you're a Romanian. And so then you sneak over the border. And why don't you stay in Canada instead of come here? I don't know."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from the Houlton Sector in Maine shows Romanians made up less than 1% of border crossings in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2024, that number increased to nearly 12%. Out of 344 illegal crossings in the sector, 40 people were identified as Romanian nationals.

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The Houlton Sector is located in northeast Maine, bordering New Brunswick, Canada. 

Krikorian suggested that Romanians might be trying to link up with family members in large cities. I-95 runs directly through Houlton, which may make it simpler for migrants to travel south and connect with relatives.

He explained that the majority of Romanians who leave their country flee to Italy and, to a lesser extent, Germany and other European Union countries. Still, more enterprising migrants might continue to the United States.

"Italy is one of the big destinations for many Romanians," Krikorian said. "But there are going to be people who want to come here. I mean, the United States is better off than Italy, too. There's more opportunities here."

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But with changing visa requirements for Romanians wishing to enter the U.S., Krikorian expects illegal immigration numbers among Romanians to decline beginning at the end of this month. 

Romanian nationals will become eligible for the Visa Waiver Program at the end of March. The program allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, whether for tourism or business. 

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Krikorian said that as a result, the number of illegal Romanian immigrants will drop, but the number of legal Romanian entrants will rise, some of whom will overstay their visas.

"So illegal immigration of Romanians will just switch, will transform from border jumpers to visa over-stayers," he said.