An investigative documentary is raising new concerns about security along the U.S.-Canada border after reporters documented alleged human-smuggling operations offering to transport migrants illegally into the U.S.
The investigation, produced by Turning Point USA’s Frontlines, follows correspondents Tayler Hansen and Kian Simone as they traveled along Canada’s southern border, contacted an alleged smuggler and visited locations reportedly being used for illegal crossings.
The investigation comes as Canadian officials face questions over tens of thousands of foreign students whose compliance with their visas has not been confirmed.
According to testimony featured in the documentary, approximately 47,175 student visa holders failed to demonstrate compliance with the terms of their visas.
When a Canadian official was pressed during a parliamentary committee hearing about how many of those individuals were fully non-compliant, the official said, “I don’t have that number.”
The figure does not establish that those students illegally entered the US. The documentary, however, alleges that weaknesses in Canada’s immigration system are being exploited by organized smugglers operating near the American border.
The correspondents traveled to Brampton, Ontario, as part of their investigation into the international student system.
Toronto journalist Harrison Faulkner told the filmmakers that unaccredited schools have operated from locations including strip malls and basements. According to Faulkner, Brampton’s mayor confirmed that at least 80 unrecognized and unlicensed colleges were operating in the area.
The documentary also highlighted the rapid expansion of Canada’s international student population, reporting that international student intake increased 190% between 2019 and 2023 and eventually surpassed one million active student visas.
The filmmakers then turned their attention to allegations that some people are using Canada as a pathway into the United States.
The documentary cited allegations from India’s anti-money-laundering authority involving a network of agents and 262 Canadian colleges. Under the alleged operation, students entered Canada using study permits but did not attend their schools before illegally crossing into the US.
The Frontlines correspondents then attempted to make direct contact with people allegedly offering smuggling services.
According to the documentary, they found operations advertising through social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, with many reportedly based around Montreal.
After contacting one operator using a Chicago-area phone number, a correspondent said he posed as someone seeking transportation into the United States for himself, his wife and a child.
The alleged smuggler offered passage into the US along with a job, vehicle, food and housing in Chicago, according to the documentary.
The reported price was $9,500 in cash.
The correspondent was allegedly instructed to bring the family’s belongings in a single bag and provide live location information for eight hours.
The documentary reported that multiple operators subsequently contacted the correspondent separately.
A licensed taxi eventually arrived as part of the planned operation, according to the filmmakers.
When confronted by the reporters, one of the men denied that he was participating in human smuggling.
“We are not smuggling,” he said, according to the documentary, describing the operation as “just only helping” people experiencing problems in Canada.
When questioned about why the service cost roughly $10,000, the man reportedly said drivers needed to be paid.
The filmmakers also traveled to Chapman Bay, Quebec, which they identified as a designated crossing location provided by the alleged smuggler.
According to the documentary, the location had no visible cameras, fencing or law enforcement presence.
The alleged route involved walking for approximately 10 to 15 minutes along the shoreline and through wooded terrain to circumvent an official port of entry before reaching a pickup location on the American side, according to Trending Politics.
A local resident also told the correspondents that migrants cross directly over the frozen lake during the winter.
The reporters later visited Roxham Road, another area associated with border crossings, and tested how quickly Canadian authorities would respond.
The documentary said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived after 10 minutes and 55 seconds.
An officer who responded reportedly acknowledged that crossings still occur in the area but said people now travel farther into wooded areas to avoid surveillance cameras.
The investigation is drawing renewed attention to the enormous US-Canada border and the challenges authorities face in monitoring remote stretches of territory.
While the documentary does not establish how many of Canada’s missing or non-compliant foreign students have entered the U.S., its encounters with alleged smugglers raise broader questions about organized networks that may be exploiting lightly monitored portions of the northern border.
