North Dakota officials testify on growing dangers as illegal immigration surges on northern border

North Dakota officials had their voices heard on the border crisis, Wednesday, as crime, drugs and homelessness plague northern border communities as migrant crossings surge. 

"We have illegals crossing into the farmers' fields that destroy crops. And then with the lack of [border] staffing, it comes down on the residents to call in when they see something… that takes the police resources out of our small towns," Walhalla Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rebecca Davis told "Fox & Friends First" Wednesday ahead of her testimony at a House field hearing in the state. 

Since 2023, North Dakota has seen an increase of 7% in violent crime, 29% increase in homelessness and a staggering 75% increase in drug overdose deaths since 2019, according to Fox News reporting.

TURKISH MIGRANT CROSSING US BORDER SAYS AMERICANS ‘RIGHT’ TO BE CONCERNED

Davis added that reduced staffing hours at the Walhalla Port of Entry have impacted trade and travel with Canada, forcing people to travel 39 miles away to the next closest 24-hour port of entry.

Davis was one of four witnesses who testified at Wednesday's House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing titled "The Biden Border Crisis: North Dakota Perspectives."

"Lack of adequate border staff and reduced hours has had severe humanitarian impacts," she told Republican lawmakers, adding that migrant families have been found deceased and are being told it is "easier" to cross the northern border vs. the southern one.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., said the border crisis is not a Democratic or Republican issue but an "American issue," and policy is what needs to be focused on. 

"American people need to understand that they are losing the greatest nation that the world has ever known, and it's almost happening on our watch," Kelly remarked at the hearing.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley testified that the "situation has deteriorated over recent years" as the state experiences "negative law enforcement impacts by the Biden's administration's refusal to shut down the border." 

"Our communities are in danger," Wrigley said. 

The attorney general and Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner also warned the state has become a target for drugs trafficked over the southern border from Mexico, especially fentanyl.

Jahner said jails are over capacity and overcrowded due to addiction, mental health and homelessness, adding that his county is connected to two major highways, which makes narcotic trafficking "accessible and enticing" to his community. 

"It is time to shut down the borders or come up with structured policy… that starts putting citizens of our country first," he said.

Jahner said when he reached out to Border Patrol in the past for matters related to illegal crossings, he was told there was simply not enough resources available to help support law enforcement.

The sheriff of Renville County, which sits directly on the U.S.-Canada border, echoed the same sentiment, warning that a lack of resources is leaving the border "wide open" to potential national security threats as unvetted migrants pour into the U.S. 

Roger Hutchinson testified that law enforcement officers are fielding calls on dead bodies, high speed pursuits, property damage and humanitarian rescues due to the border crossings.

Migrants crossing the northern border. (Customs and Border Protection)

In March, 22 House Republicans sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing "serious concern" over an "unprecedented surge in apprehensions" seen along the northern border amid an "orchestrated" crisis by the Biden administration. 

In the 2023 fiscal year, Border Patrol agents apprehended 10,021 aliens illegally crossing the border between ports of entry, including 2,229 apprehensions in the first four months alone. In the first four months of the 2024 fiscal year, through January 2024, the Border Patrol has already apprehended 4,772 subjects along the northern border, according to Rep. Kelly's office. 

The letter expanded upon Kelly's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in November amid reports from U.S. Customs & Border Protection, which showed an alarming number of suspects on the terror watchlist crossing into the United States along the northern border.

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Elizabeth Heckman is a digital production assistant with Fox News.