Border Patrol agents nab illegal Irishman on trail near Glacier National Park

We don’t hear from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency very often here at Last Best News, and we’re pretty sure we’ve never received a press release like the one we received today.

It began: “Agents assigned to the St. Mary Border Patrol Station Horse Patrol Unit arrested a 47-year-old man from Ireland near the Chief Mountain Port of Entry on Saturday.”

The press release said the Irishman, who was “carrying a large backpack along the international border,” was encountered by the horse patrol unit, who questioned the man. They learned that “he had illegally entered the United States from Canada by walking southbound through the woods in an effort to avoid detection.”

The unnamed Irishman was arrested and processed for a removal hearing, and he is to remain in custody until the removal proceedings get underway.

“This is a great example of how effective our agents are at identifying and interdicting cross border traffic in remote areas of the border,” Division Chief John South was quoted as saying in the release. “They’re always ready to carry out our agency’s mission and safeguard the public.”

The St. Mary Border Patrol Station is located in Babb, just east of Glacier National Park. The station’s area of responsibility takes in 7,800 square miles of mountainous terrain and rolling prairie farm and ranch land, including about 870 square miles of the eastern half of Glacier  Park.

The U.S. Border Patrol also took the occasion to remind people that they can report suspicious activity any time of day or night by calling 888-700-6781.