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Increase in Haitians arrested at border - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

Increase in Haitians arrested at border

Burlington, Vermont - April 4, 2010

The northern border of Vermont has become a magnet for Haitians in recent months.

The January 12 earthquake in Haiti killed upwards of 200 thousand people and displaced millions. Now the U.S. Border Patrol says that since January, they've caught 114 Haitians for allegedly entering Vermont illegally from Canada. Officials say most of those caught were already ex-patriots living in Canada, and that they may have been trying to take advantage of a temporary ban on deportations that the U.S. enacted following the earthquake. The ban only applies to Haitians who were already living here.

The U.S. Attorney for Vermont says he is NOT treating the cases differently than other cases involving illegal aliens.