Police Detain US Man Trying to Paddle Over Canadian Border in Kayak

Canadian and American flags fly near Ambassador Bridge at the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Windsor, Ont., on March 21, 2020. The Canadian Press/Rob Gurdebeke

Police in the town of LaSalle, Ont., just south of Windsor, say they recently detained a man from the United States trying to illegally enter Canada by kayak.

According to LaSalle police, the 51-year-old man was discovered around 1 a.m. on Aug. 6 on the Canadian side of the Detroit River and detained and turned over to RCMP after it was found he was trying to illegally enter Canada.

Police say that an officer was doing property checks of commercial properties and spotted a man next to the shore of the river with a kayak and two backpacks.

“While conducting a simple property check, I’m confident our officer did not expect to find someone trying to illegally enter Canada. It is because of his proactivity that this act was discovered,” Lasalle Police Chief Michael Pearce said in an Aug. 6 statement, adding that the incident is ”an outstanding example demonstrating that proactive police work can yield unintended positive outcomes.”

After being taken into police custody, the U.S. citizen was turned over to the RCMP, who are investigating further.

According to the Government of Canada, the number of illegal immigrants in Canada is unknown. However, “estimates suggest that the population could be as high as 500,000 persons.”

In regard to those trying to illegally enter the United States from Canada, U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended around 190,000 individuals in 2023, according to its data. The number rose to an estimated 199,000 apprehensions in 2024.

U.S. President Donald Trump has cited a lack of sufficient border security on the Canadian side and the flow of illegal immigrants from Canada to the United States as one of his reasons for applying tariffs on various Canadian goods.

Canada is currently implementing a $1.3 billion plan begun in December of last year aimed at strengthening border security, including an increase in surveillance of border crossings and the hiring of thousands of new personnel.