Twelve Europeans in custody after allegedly crossing Canadian border illegally into Minnesota

Twelve people — eight citizens of Great Britain and four citizens of Ireland — were taken into custody by the border patrol last month after they allegedly entered the country illegally near the Canadian border with Minnesota.

A press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection gave the following details:

A Border Patrol agent with the Warroad Station was notified Sept. 25 that two vehicles had illegally entered the country near Roseau, Minn.

During the search for the vehicles, the agent found them at a gas station in Grygla, Minn. As he drew closer, one vehicle left the station. After speaking to the occupants of the vehicle that remained, one citizen of Britain and three citizens of Ireland were taken into custody.

The next day, an International Falls agent spotted the second vehicle, which was unoccupied at the time, at a restaurant in Bemidji. After speaking to a front desk clerk at a nearby hotel and working with the Beltrami County sheriff’s office, the agent was able to locate an additional eight people who had entered the country illegally — seven from Great Britain and one from Ireland.

“This was a great response by our agents,” Chief Patrol Agent Anthony S. Good said. “The communication and collaboration between two of our stations was the reason we were able to catch the migrants. As a reminder, it is unlawful to enter the United States anywhere other than a designated Port of Entry.”

The twelve people were taken to the Warroad Port of Entry and are being held on suspicion of illegally entering the country.