by: Catherine Parrotta Updated: Feb 25, 2016 - 5:40 AM

MAINE —

PROTECTING THE BORDER FROM ABOVE

More than 337,000 people crossed into the United States illegally last year.

While Washington has focused most of its attention on the southwest border, there is an issue that hits closer to home, just six hours north of Boston.

The border shared by northern Maine and Canada stretches more than 600 miles and is blanketed in dense forests and dotted with lakes. It is peaceful, but it may also serve as a shroud of secrecy for those with dangerous intentions.

“There’s so many places to hide and so many ways to walk through there without being seen by anyone,” said Air Interdiction agent Mike Fuller.

Fuller has been with Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations in Houlton, Maine since 2009. His mission is to be an eye in the sky.

“You never really know where the terrorists are going to make an entry,” Fuller told FOX25.

Fuller took FOX25 with him above the border to get a first-hand look at the challenges below. In an area called the Slash, on one side is Maine and on the other is Canada. A look from the air shows how dense the foliage is on either side. It makes having an asset in the air very important for the agents on the ground.

“In the summer time, it’s green. You have a lot of tree cover. You really can’t see down through that canopy,” Fuller said.

Last year, agents stopped 32 people from illegally coming into the U.S. Most were Canadian, but some came from Central America and Palestine. But those on the border and in Washington know more work needs to be done.

“The terrorists' approach continually evolves and looks for weakness and right now, I think the Canadian border is a weakness,” Democratic Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch said.

But agents say securing the northern border is about using their resources to work smarter and to detect an ever-evolving enemy, who is always expected.

“We have to be poised and ready for them,” Fuller said.

Both the helicopter and a small airplane are part of a regional air unit based out of Virginia, so Border Patrol does have access to resources from neighboring states. The helicopter is also used to help other agencies with investigations across the state.

 

 

We showed you how the northern border is monitored by air. Now we have a look at the work on the ground. #FOX25 pic.twitter.com/NqZRtSdKj8

— Catherine Parrotta (@CParrottaFox25) February 25, 2016

 

CHALLENGES AGENTS FACE ON THE GROUND

The area surrounding the border is remote, vast, and some say vulnerable to terrorists.

While much of it is not patrolled, that does not mean it’s unguarded. At the port of entry in Houlton, Maine, Customs and Border Protection screens an average of 800 people a day crossing the border with Canada. But this is not the only spot they’re watching.

David Astle has been with U.S. Border Patrol for more than 30 years and in Houlton for 14. He covers a remote area vulnerable to anyone wanting to escape detection, including terrorists.

Astle brought FOX25’s Catherine Parrotta to Starky’s Corner, a place with a history of illegal crossings.

“You can buy a map saying cross here in Canada from the smuggling organization,” Astle said.

Last year, Customs and Border Protection said 2,600 people were arrested trying to cross the northern border illegally, including 32 in Houlton. Most of those people are from Canada or Central America.

Technology like ground sensors and hundreds of cameras also monitor the border, and so do Maine residents.

“We did have a citizen call in,” Astle said. “Saw someone who was walking with very muddy feet, the clothing, the mannerisms were not consistent with this area. This person stuck out. They called us. We found the person and arrested him. He ended up being a war criminal.”

Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch sits on the Subcommittee on National Security. He says 90 percent of border agents are on the southern border, leaving the northern border exposed.

“We can do a heck of a lot better,” Lynch said. "We know that the terrorists in the past have looked for weak links and right now, I'd have to say there's some exposure and vulnerability along our northern border."

In a November issue of its magazine, ISIS issued a call to action, encouraging attacks in the U.S. and Canada. While the federal government tracks the number of special interest aliens, or SIAs, from terrorist nations like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia captured at our borders, that information is secret.

But when it comes to northern border security, agents are always focused on the possibilities to prevent threats, long before needing to stop them in their tracks on the U.S. and Canadian border.

 

Check out this street, it's in two countries! On #FOX25 at 10, what's being done to secure our northern border. pic.twitter.com/dPXeyMhG86

— Catherine Parrotta (@CParrottaFox25) February 25, 2016

FOX25 got a close look at the work happening at the port of entry and on Maine’s coastal border. For more on that story, click here.