Gazette rides along with RCMP border patrol in southern Quebec
By Kim Fauteux
Operations
Constable Plouffe uses a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System to patrol the area around Roxham Road, previously known as a popular spot for illegal migrants to enter Canada.
Image by Kim Fauteux, RCMP
February 6, 2025
Content
What is it like being an RCMP officer protecting the Canada-U.S. border? That's what I was able to see first-hand last May, when I joined Constable Patrick Plouffe on a ride-along in a town within an hour's drive south of Montréal.
Plouffe, who's been a Mountie for six years and lives in Montréal, greets me at an RCMP satellite office in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec. Wearing protective vests, we jump into an RCMP SUV and start patrolling the border of Quebec and New York.
After graduating from Depot — the RCMP training academy — Plouffe was assigned to the Border Integrity unit patrolling the area around Roxham Road, previously known as a popular spot for illegal migrants to enter Canada. He's been with the unit ever since.
As we drive on country roads surrounded by trees, passing by a few houses here and there, Plouffe explains that the nature of the work during the day and night shifts is different.
"During the day, we mostly patrol the area, make our presence known, and exchange with the residents to strengthen our bond," he says. "We also respond to calls and are on the lookout for people who may try crossing the border illegally. At night, we often park our patrol car at a strategic place. Sometimes around 2 am, we will see people walking with backpacks, in the middle of nowhere, in mostly wooden areas, which is suspicious as most people in the area are asleep at that time and don't go for walks in the woods."
Plouffe explains that he pays attention to cars, and more specifically, to how many people are in them, as smugglers often drop people off to help them cross the border. He says that in winter, he also needs to pay extra attention to the ground, looking for shoe prints in the snow. Prints make it easier for police officers to track people trying to cross into the U.S. through fields and wooded areas where there are no public trails and where people usually do not walk.
Plouffe then pulls over in a spot where he can fly an RCMP remotely-piloted aircraft, known commonly as a drone. It's used to get a bird's-eye view of any movement at the border. He says it really comes in handy at night, as the night vision allows officers to see what they wouldn't always by patrolling. As most of the illegal activity happens at night, it was no surprise that things on patrol that day were quiet.
Age is only a number
Plouffe, who joined the RCMP in 2009 as a civilian employee, went on to become a police officer in 2018.
"I wanted to wear the uniform and be a first responder," he says. "I thought I was too old, but I was told that as long as I passed the tests there's no age restriction to join." The RCMP constable says he loves his job.
"It's peaceful and scenic where I work; we never know what's in store for us," says Plouffe. "It's definitely not a boring job — I learn something new every day!"
A satisfying and challenging job
Although the work is satisfying, Plouffe admits that sometimes he wants to do more to help people, even though he always does what he can.
"It really affects me when children are involved," Plouffe says, noting that he sometimes sees migrant children arriving in Canada cold, tired, and hungry, having walked for hours through the forest in the middle of the night, sometimes in very cold winter weather.
Another challenge involves rescue operations, according to Plouffe. He says they can be very challenging due to the harsh winter climate in Canada. For illegal migrants, themselves, trying to cross the border in winter can have devastating results. Some illegal migrants are not equipped for the Canadian winters, and lose their lives in the process.
"I'd tell people who are thinking of crossing the border illegally to go through official channels instead," he says. "They should get information on the refugee and asylum seekers process."
Six hours after the ride along began, Plouffe drives me back to my car at the satellite office as we reflect on what I've learned from the experience, and my new-found appreciation for his work and the challenges of patrolling an area this wide and vastly forested.
With a wave and a glance in the rear-view mirror at Plouffe, I leave the satellite office feeling thankful for the new insight which has given me a deeper understanding of what RCMP officers have to do to enforce the law at the border.
