Plattsburgh Air Unit & Partners Apprehend 124 People in Northern Border Surge Operation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Plattsburgh Air Unit worked with federal, state, and local partners during Operation Jagdakommando in response to unprecedented illicit cross-border activity.

Plattsburgh Air Unit C-206 Night Owl airplane and H125 ASTAR helicopter crews partnered in the U.S. Border Patrol-led surge operation along the U.S. northern border involving multiple federal, state, and local organizations. Agents from Bellingham Air and Marine Branch and Great Lakes Air and Marine Branch were sent to Plattsburgh on temporary duty and were integral to the success of the operation.

During the operation, Plattsburgh Air Unit crews contributed to the apprehension of 124 individuals between April 4 and May 13, 2023. Aircrews contributed to the apprehension of 212 individuals in Fiscal Year 2023 through 3rd quarter, marking a significant increase in migrant apprehensions. Additionally, Plattsburgh Air Unit apprehensions account for 83% of all apprehensions along AMO’s northern border between October 1, 2022, and June 31, 2023.

Plattsburgh Air Unit is part of AMO’s Manassas Air Branch. Manassas Air Branch has four air units located in Manassas, Virginia; Farmingdale and Plattsburgh, New York, and Old Town, Maine. It specializes in aviation law enforcement and conducts a myriad of missions, including border security operations along the U.S.-Canadian border, investigative missions with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, search and rescue missions, and post-incident response.

In Fiscal Year 2022, AMO enforcement actions resulted in 967 arrests and 134,981 apprehensions of undocumented individuals, as well as the seizure or disruption of 250,616 pounds of cocaine, 1,475 pounds of fentanyl, 25,625 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,342 weapons, and $21.7 million.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the comprehensive management, control, and protection of our nation’s borders, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection at and between official ports of entry.